Tender Roots
by UnchartedDreams
Summary: Just why would Katsuki want to be friends with a girl, anyway? /childhood!fic, fem!deku, a fic delving into the childhood of katsuki and deku/
1. One Summer's Day

_**A/N:**_ Katsuki's and Izuku's ages at the start of this fanfic were originally four years old and they were supposed to be in kindergarten. As of March 15th 2020, (as of chapter 16), I've decided to change their ages to eight and to portray them as elementary school students in the second grade. The reason they were so initially written so young was a result of my attempt to stay canon compliant, as in canon, they receive their quirks around the age of four. For me, it was imperative to showcase Katsuki and Izuku's relationship _before_ they received their quirks, as once they do, their friendship begins to gradually decline, with Katsuki slowly turning into Izuku's bully, and all. However, after much consideration, I've realized that my attempt to stay true to canon by showcasing their relationship _before_ they receive their quirks resulted in having four-year olds have unrealistic dialogues and situations. So I've decided that it's best to diverge from canon a bit. Other than that, the fic is virtually unchanged from how it originally was. So- to recap. The beginning of this fic takes place pre-canon, Katsuki and Izuku are eight, and the main difference between this fic and canon is that in this fic, it's normal for a child to receive their quirk around the age of nine. Meaning, that the two of them are both quirkless at the beginning of this fic. Other than that, I'm going to try my best to stay canon-compliant.

* * *

To say Katsuki is annoyed is an understatement.

He's _livid._

What is his mother thinking? Why on earth would he want to spend a summer's afternoon getting acquainted with some people he doesn't know, when he _could_ be out playing with his friends?

This whole day is going to suck.

"Katsuki, I want you to be on your best behavior today," His mother starts, gaze focused on the road with steering wheel in hand. How does his mother even do that, talk while driving at the same time? "If you give these people any trouble, you won't get off scot-free."

Katsuki whines. "But _Mooooom—_ "

"No buts. We're going to meet up with them and you're going to like it."

Katsuki glares at his mother's head from the backseat and he crosses his arms. He's tempted for a moment to throw a tantrum but decides against it. He knows his mother isn't joking when she says she won't let him off easy if he's rude today; the last time he was rude to any of her acquaintances, he got grounded for two weeks. So he's not willing to push her buttons again.

Still, nothing annoys him more than having to act polite to people he wants nothing to do with.

"I know the thought of having to meet my new colleagues at work is far from what you'd find exciting," he mother continues, "But I can promise you it won't be all that bad. They have a kid your age who'll keep you company while we're there, and who's similar to you in a lot of ways."

Katsuki's head jerks upward at the latter statement, his curiosity piqued. "They do?"

Despite only being able to see the back of her head, Katsuki knows his mother's smiling.

"Yep, and I'm sure that by the end of the day, you'll have ended up befriending her."

Katsuki was almost excited at the prospect of making a new friend until that last word came out of his mother's mouth.

Wait... could she repeat that _last_ thing she said? No, he had to have heard her wrong.

Unfortunately, what his mother says next confirms his ears hadn't failed him.

"Remember, since she's a girl, try to not to play roughly with her. You have of tendency of doing that with your friends at school, but girls are different. You have to treat them with a lot more-"

"She's a girl?!" He blurts out in indignation.

His mother frowns. "Is there something wrong with that?"

How can his mother even ask that? "Of course there is! Girls are lame!" He exclaims hotly, anger surging within him. Befriending a girl of all things is _not_ what he signed up for. What's his mother even thinking?

How can his mother think he'll just sit down and take this information calmly?

His mother doesn't seem too happy with his reaction. "In case you've forgotten, _I_ happen to be a girl."

That comment doesn't reassure him _at all_ , but he refrains from telling her that.

"Mama, please," he complains, "Can't you just leave me at home? Just why the hell would I wanna be friends with one of _them_?"

"Watch your language, young man!" She growls, and he growls back. "I don't want another word out of you," she continues angrily, "You're going to be on your best behavior today, and if you so much as _look_ at that poor girl funny, your punishment will be _a lot_ worse than the last time I grounded you!"

An almost literal explosive rage bursts within him and it takes all of his self-control to bite his tongue and keep quiet. That doesn't stop him from shaking, though.

Great, this day is gonna be a complete bust. It's bad enough that he's going to have to play with a _girl_ , but to make matters worse, he's going to have to play... _nice._

It's the first time Katsuki's actually considering getting grounded as opposed to _this_. In many ways, perhaps it'd be a kinder fate.

Girls are dumb. It's a fact everybody knows. And while Katsuki himself has never taken the time to actually get to know one personally, his own input on what they're like doesn't matter, anyway. After all, who is he the question the opinions of his peers? They're the only ones in town who've acknowledged him for the genius that he is. He has unshaking faith in their opinion; after all, they have good taste. They're capable of knowing greatness when they see it. So he trusts they know what they're talking about when it comes to these things.

Besides, from what he himself _has_ observed of them, there's no reason for him to think otherwise. Everyone treats them as though they're these fragile little creatures that require delicate care. Considering the amount of times one of them has broken down crying in class _over nothing,_ Katsuki can't say that line of thinking isn't completely justified.

All in all, they're just too different in comparison to boys that Katsuki can't imagine he'd ever get along with one. They're interested in sissy things like playing with dolls and playing dress up.

Katsuki has never understood how anyone could find those activities fun. He'd much rather be outside, playing a sport or trading Hero cards with his friends.

The amount of times he's returned home covered in dirt and sweat due to having partaken in unruly activities momentarily makes him smile. The smile disappears as they roll into the parking lot, as he remembers that today, unruly activities are probably the _last_ thing he'll be doing.

There's no reason to believe this girl will be different from any other he's seen so far, and the thought that he'll have to waste an entire day being gentle with one makes him bristle.

He snorts.

This day is going to suck. _Hard_.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Katsuki knows curse words even though he's young, is because his parents (Mitsuki in particular) are guilty of cursing around him... so yeah. 10/10 parenting.


	2. Irritation

Katsuki's head is lowered and fists are balled as his mother knocks on the door.

The door opens and reveals a woman who looks to be around his mother's age. He won't lie, the lady is sort of pretty. Clear green eyes, fair skin and shiny green hair make for an alright combination, he admits.

He still wants to leave, though.

His mother practically pounces on her.

"Inko-san, it's great to see you again!" His mother exclaims, rushing to entrap the woman in a bear hug. Katsuki rolls his eyes. His mother tends to do that a lot to people she barely knows.

 _Also, just a minute ago she was angry, and now she's acting all happy? She's so fake._

The woman looks caught-off guard by the sudden physical contact. Her face is briefly one of alarm before it slowly changes to one of warmth.

"It's nice to see you again too, Mitsuki-san," The woman says softly, and it's now clear as day that she's the exact opposite of his mother.

Mitsuki grins, and releases the poor woman from her ensnarement.

"Where's Hisashi-san?"

"Unfortunately, he had to go last minute to run some errands for our family, so he won't be with us today."

"Ah, bummer," Mitsuki tsks.

The green-haired woman nods, but then turns her attention to Katsuki, and regards him with a thoughtful look. Katsuki tries his hardest _not_ regard her with a glare.

"And who's this young man you've brought with you?" She says fondly, a smile on her face.

Katsuki's silent, and looks at the ground; he knows now's the time to put on the mask of being polite and introduce himself, but the only thing coming to mind right now is _how much he doesn't want to_ **be** _here.  
_  
His mother, probably having sensed this, replies for him.

"This is Katsuki. He's young alright, but I wouldn't say he's much of a man."

In an instant, his brow furrows, teeth grit, and he stares icily up at his mother. Is she trying to provoke him on purpose now!?

He doesn't notice the surprised look on Inko's face, nor the fact that she's recoiled at the sudden change in demeanor coming from him.

His mother then laughs, puts a hand on his head and starts petting him aggressively.

"Easy there, scamp," she tells him, and Katsuki doesn't miss the brief cold look she gives him, even though it's dangerously fast. He knows what it is; a silent reminder that he has to be on his best behavior today, or else.

Screw his life.

Mitsuki then looks back at Inko with a reassuring grin. "Relax, Inko-san, he doesn't bite."

 _You wanna try me, old lady?_

"He's just a bit hungry right now, so he can't take a joke."

The scowl doesn't leave his face. _Liar._

Inko blinks. "O-oh, no worries, Mitsuki-san. That's perfectly understandable." The smile returns on the Inko's face and she gestures towards the inside of her home. "Why don't you both come in then, and I'll get both of you something to eat?"

"Thank you, Inko-san. That's very thoughtful of you," his mother replies, and Inko moves aside to let them enter.

Xx

"And then I said, 'You take that back, you loser! You don't talk to my son that way!'"

"Really? You're kidding me!"

Mitsuki laughs, and takes another sip of her beer. "I'm serious."

It takes all of Katsuki's willpower _not_ to grab his mother's drink and throw it across the room.

It's been forty minutes since they came here, and so far, _both_ womens' behavior have been driving Katsuki insane.

Things were relatively alright, at first. Once they entered the home, Inko brought them to the living room, and the Bakugōs were then seated on the couch. Katsuki was then given a sandwich to munch on, which momentarily provided him relief from the stress of this whole situation.

But once Inko brought a chair and small table and sat across from them, things quickly got intolerable after that.

Since then, the women have just been indulging in pointless _chatter_. The conversations were mostly about work at first, which he supposes is understandable, considering they're colleagues, but then the topics just started devolving into idle gossip. Things got even worse when Inko offered his mother a beer, which Katsuki should have known _immediately_ was a red flag.

He can tell that the alcohol's starting to affect his mother now, and Katsuki can't begin to express how much he _hates_ his mother when she drinks with friends.

He's so bored and frustrated that honestly, he's considering throwing a fit just so they can just _leave._ Maybe getting grounded is a better alternative to this. Heck, maybe even playing namby-pamby games with that girl he's supposed to meet is better than this.

Wait a second.

They've been here for forty minutes and so far, there's been no sign of the foretold girl in question. In fact, now that he thinks about it, the lady hasn't even _mentioned_ so far that she has a daughter. Isn't that weird, though? They've been talking to each other for about forty minutes, and how is it that she has yet to bring up her daughter in _any_ of their conversations?

The first things adults normally talk about when they meet up are their kids, right? Well, as far as he's concerned, they've both been acting as though theirs don't even exist. It's also unlike his mother not to mention kids _at all_ in a conversation. In fact, most of the time, it's all she blabbers about

Something's up. And while Katsuki's positive it's due to how restless and agitated he is at this point, he wants to get to the bottom of this.

He looks back to the women, who are now partaking in a conversation on where to buy the best groceries. His eyes narrow. How long are they going to keep the charade up?

Well, to hell with it. He's not gonna sit there and be played for a fool. He's never been good at keeping his mouth shut when he wants something, anyway.

"Well, Mitsuki-san, you see—"

"Say," he cuts the green-haired woman off sharply, prompting her to blink, and his mother to flash him a look of anger. He ignores both of their reactions, fed up with their bullcrap and wanting to understand what's truly going on. He leans forward and places the tip of his chin between his thumb and index finger, his face dark.

"Don't you have a daughter or something?"" He asks coolly, his gaze burning into Inko's.

The woman in question goes pale at his question. Katsuki's expression hardens.

 _Hiding something, now are we?_

* * *

A/N: I will try to update this fic at least every week, but I can't say it'll follow that much of a strict schedule. However, the next chapter in particular will come out in 2-3 days. Thanks folks for your patience. :)


	3. Doubt

His question is met with a smack by his mother to his head.

"Ow!" He shouts, and sneers at Mitsuki. "Just what was that for, old lady!?"

"Katsuki, you're being rude!" She barks. She looks back at Inko with an apologetic look and bows her head.

"Please excuse him, Inko, for his behavior. I suppose that he's just so excited to meet Izuku that he's growing restless."

Katsuki throat rumbles. _As if!_ The only reason he cared so much about finding out whether or not he'd meet the girl was because the two women were acting as though the whole ordeal wasn't even going to happen. While he definitely wants it _not_ to happen, if it's already going to, there was no point for them to beat around the bush.

Still; his mother's words confirm that there _is_ a girl to meet up with. While Katsuki can't say that knowledge makes him _in any way **relieved**_ , at least the information isn't being toyed around with anymore.

 _So, the girl's name is Izuku, huh? Why were they acting like she didn't exist, then? And where is she right now, anyway?  
_  
Sweat beads down Inko's forehead as she fumbles with her fingers, smiles awkwardly and looks to the ground.

"I—It's quite alright, Mitsuki-san. I apologize for not having brought her out here sooner. I admit I got so distracted by your arrival, Mitsuki-san, and by the lovely conversations we've been having in the short fifteen minutes that you've been here, that I—"

Katsuki's eyes widen. "What!?" He exclaims in disbelief. They've only been there for _fifteen_ minutes!? Why did it feel like forty, then?!

 _ **Because time goes by slower when you're bored?**_ His inner voice rationalizes. He grumbles.

 _Shut up.  
_  
His mother smacks him on the head again. "Quit speaking out of turn!"

"Well, you quit hitting me!" He blurts, shaking, unable to keep up the civil charade any longer. He's exasperated at this point.

Mitsuki glances at Inko, "Forgive him, please, and continue."

Inko swallows. She's obviously uncomfortable by how he and his mother communicate. The dynamic within her family is probably different, Katsuki deduces.

"No need to worry, Mitsuki-san. In any case, as I was saying, I got so distracted by your arrival, and coupled with our conversation we've been having for the last fifteen minutes, all those things made me forget to bring Izuku out here."

 _How do you forget something like that?_ He thinks to himself boredly.

She then turns to Katsuki and looks at him meekly.

"So... sorry about that, Katsuki-kun. This whole time we've been talking, you've probably been longing to go and play with your new friend already. You must have been frustrated because of that."

No, no, and no.

That is _not_ why he was frustrated.

Katsuki's temper starts to flare, but sensing his mother's watchful eyes on him, he takes a breath and keeps cool.

He then stares at Inko coldly, hoping that his intense leer will be enough to convey his feelings of bridled fury.

Disappointingly, she's unfazed.

"I'll go get her now," she says with a small smile, rising to her feet. Katsuki doesn't miss the way her smile falters for a moment, though.

"The thing is... I told her to come out of her room herself when you both arrived... but... well... you see..."

"But what?" Katsuki demands, impatient. His mother hisses at him, but he ignores it. He's tired of them dragging things on for too long.

Inko sighs and rubs the back of her neck.

"She... can be a bit shy around people she doesn't know, and I suppose that's why she hasn't left her room herself so far."

 _So, guess she's equally thrilled to meet me as I am._ He thinks dryly to himself.

"There have been multiple instances where she's... oh, never mind. Nothing's wrong. It might just take me a minute or two to convince her to come out, that's all."

She walks past them and opens the black door located on the right of the couch where the Bakugos are seated.

"I'll be right back," she says, and enters the room where Izuku's probably residing.

The second Inko enters the room and closes the door, Mitsuki speaks up.

"I thought I told you to be on your best behavior," she snaps.

"I am!" He retorts, his true colors coming forth. "And besides, you know I can be a lot. _Worse_."

"Do you hear how you're talking to me?"

"Yeah, it's how you talk to an annoying old hag."

"That is no way to talk to your mother, you little—"

They pipe down the second Inko exits the room, with Mitsuki radiating a mask of politeness, and Katsuki sporting one of indifference.

"Well... you see..." Inko presses both of her index fingers against each other. Katsuki notices that she hasn't brought anyone out of the room with her.

He wants to groan. _What now?  
_  
"Inko-san, what's wrong?" Mitsuki asks worriedly, jumping to her feet and rushing over to her side. She puts a hand on one of Inko's shoulders.

Inko sighs.

"We have a small problem." The green-haired woman says finally.


	4. Inadequate

Katsuki doesn't know whether to think Izuku's a wimp or a genius.

When Inko told the Bakugō duo that Izuku locked herself in her closet to avoid having to meet them, Katsuki initially scorned the girl for doing so.

 _Sissy,_ he thought, _Coward isn't even brave enough to greet her own guests._ He wasn't even disappointed. He had already known what to expect.

However, when Inko mentioned that this wasn't the _first_ time Izuku had done something like this, and that there were even times when she hid herself somewhere else in the house just so she could avoid meeting guests, he was struck with the sudden realization:

 _Wait._

Why haven't

I _ever thought of doing that before!?  
_  
There have been so many times in the past where he's _agonized_ over having to meet new guests, but the idea that he could just hide himself somewhere in the house to avoid doing so was one that _never_ came to mind.

How was that possible? For _him_ not to ever think of doing something like that?

It got even worse when Inko started elaborating all the creative ways Izuku had hidden herself from guests in the past.

Izuku would typically hide in bizarre locations where no one would dare to look; under the couch, in the washing machine, and there was a time where she even hid herself in the kitchen pantry. There were even times when no one ended up even finding her until she decided to leave the hiding spot herself.

How? How was... a _girl_ , such as herself, capable of thinking up such genius places to hide?

How was _a girl_ capable of thinking of such a brilliant idea in the first place, before _he_ had?!

His mind tried to rationalize it. It made him feel strange.

It made him _angry._

 _No._ He thought to himself, fists clenching. _I refuse to believe that a girl is in any way smarter than I am.  
_

 _I_ refuse _to believe that a_ girl _has outdone me._

And thus, these are the thoughts that have been passing through Katsuki's mind as he, his mother, and Inko have been standing out Izuku's closet, the two women trying feebly to persuade her out.

At this point, Katsuki's sense-of-self is shook. He's lost in his own world, trying to his best to reassure his debilitating ego. He's not even paying that much attention to the two womens' actions, although his mind subconsciously makes the occasional commentary.

"Izuku? Why don't you come out? Our guests have arrived!"

 _That won't work, lady. Try something more creative.  
_

"Don't you want to meet your new friend?"

Katsuki almost laughs at that. No matter _what_ the two women want out of them, they sure as hell aren't going to be _friends._

At one point, Mitsuki speaks up.

"There's no need be to scared, Izuku-chan. Katsuki won't bite."

His mother seems to be fond of using that phrase. _If only it were true.  
_  
He quickly realizes he's bothered by how the women are treating her. They're speaking to Izuku with the utmost concern, but if the roles were reversed, and _he_ were the one in the closet, his mother would scream at him to get out, that's for sure.

Why are they being so gentle with her? She's deliberately disobeying a grown up's order. Isn't she supposed to get yelled at for that?

 _Is it because she's a girl?_ He realizes.

His chest burns at the thought.

 _Right._

 _Of course it is._

Despite having conceded with that fact, the stinging in his chest refuses to subside.

Just why is it that girls are always treated better? What's so great about girls, that they always get the long end of the stick, when it comes to _everything_?

It's not fair.

It doesn't help that the entire time, _this_ girl been silent from the other side of the door.

That knowledge makes him all the more heated. What is she playing at? Everybody already knows she's hiding there. She hasn't got anybody fooled.

Especially not _him_.

Inko sighs and turns towards the Bakugō pair.

"Oh, dear... I'm sorry to the both of you. This is all my fault."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Inko-san," Mitsuki tells her softly. Why is his mother being so _nice_ about the whole situation? She'd never be that nice to _him._ He grits his teeth. Inko shakes her head.

"No. I _should_ be hard on myself. I should have known she'd go and pull something like this again."

Inko turns to Katsuki, and he openly glares at her this time around. There's no point in hiding his dissatisfaction anymore, what with everything that's happened so far.

"The thing is, before you arrived, she was so excited to meet you, Katsuki-kun, so I thought something like this wouldn't happen again. "

 _She was?_ He thinks, somewhat surprised, his anger momentarily hesitating.

"She doesn't get along with many kids her age, and from what Mitsuki-san's told me of you, you both have a lot of things in common."

It quickly comes back, though. _Do we, now?_ He thinks dryly.

"But... it seems like the whole situation was too much for her..." Inko trails off.

She sighs again. "All in all, it's my fault." She then takes an accusing glance towards the closet door.

"And I probably should be more strict on her as her mother in the future."

Katsuki doesn't know why, but he feels a small rush of glee at the knowledge that the girl won't go unpunished. Well, it serves her right! She deserves it. Hopefully, she'll get a punishment similar to the ones he receives regularly.

Mitsuki places a hand on Inko's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Inko-san. No kid's perfect. If shyness is the only thing wrong with your kid, well, then frankly, you're _lucky_.

He rolls his eyes at his mother's obvious jab towards him. She's always sucked at being subtle.

"In any case," Mitsuki says, and Katsuki then realizes that the whole time, her face has been slightly red.

He cringes in embarrassment. _No, mom, don't tell me…_

"I want to stay and help with the whole situation, but... Could you show me to your bathroom, first?" She laughs awkwardly, rubbing her neck. "... I… may have had too much to drink. I feel a bit nauseous."

 _I knew it._ Katsuki wants to bash his head on the wall. Well, he can't say he's surprised. If anything, he's surprised that the alcohol hasn't started taking effect on her sooner. She usually starts acting funny immediately after the first sip.

Besides, it wouldn't be his mother _not_ to get drunk within the first fifteen minutes at a guests' house.

That doesn't make it any _less_ annoying, though.

Inko's cheeks slowly turn pink. "O—oh." She turns to Katsuki for a moment, then turns back to Mitsuki, then to Katsuki, and then to Mitsuki again.

 _Make up your mind, woman!_

"Of course, Mitsuki-san." She then turns back to Katsuki, whose lips are curling into a snarl at the incessant head-turning.

"Katsuki-kun, while I'm off escorting your mother to the bathroom, why don't you try talking to Izuku in the meantime?"

 _What._

Inko doesn't stop there, though.

"I'm sure you can convince her to come out. Maybe if you talk to yourself, she'll see that she has nothing to fear."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Sorry folks for the kind of late-ish update! I really wanted this fic to be updated every other day due to how short the chapters are, but you know, life got in the way. From now on, chapters will mostly be updated on a bi-weekly(?) basis, with occasional ups and down in productivity. They'll also be a bit longer from now on, although by how much, I can't say.

Thank you all for the kudos/comments so far! Lol, but seriously, I don't deserve them. Not much has even happened yet! xD Still, I'm grateful, and I'm glad these initial chapters have grabbed your guys' attention. I hope the rest of this fic will deliver. C:


	5. Wrath

_Ha._

 _Hahahahahha._

Is this lady for real?

Inko's expression is unwavering, letting Katsuki know that she's serious.

The young boy, silent, is then overtook by a wave of jumbled emotions.

 _Just... what's this lady smoking?!_ He thinks to himself, incredulous. _  
_  
He looks to Mitsuki for her opinion on the matter, but she's staring at the floor, probably concentrating on not toppling over.

He shakes his head. Typical.

He tries to think of a good argument as to why it's the dumbest idea he's ever heard, but Mitsuki interrupts his train of thought with a snort.

"Great idea, Inko-san! Let _Katsuki_ of all people talk to her, that'll convince her to come out!"

Sarcasm drips out of Mitsuki's mouth like venom, a notion that's painfully obvious to Katsuki, and one that seems to make Inko uncomfortable for some reason.

"Uh…" Inko says hesitantly, and glances back at Katsuki. Katsuki shrugs.

"She has a point," he drawls.

Inko surprisingly then frowns, and takes Mitsuki's hand.

"Come on, Mitsuki-san, you needn't exert yourself. I'll show you to the bathroom now." They then start heading in the direction of the door, prompting Katsuki to remember the position he's in.

Wait… she's not serious, is she? No, she couldn't be. This lady couldn't make him do this.

"Pay your mother no heed, Katsuki-kun," Inko states, this time a bit more sternly, before her gaze and tone softens. "I know you can convince Izuku to leave the closet if you just try. There's no need to be shy, or nervous. You just have to believe in yourself."

The two women then leave, unaware of the effect Inko's last statement had on Katsuki, and the storm now brewing within him.

How dare she.

How dare, this… stupid, dumb _hag_ of a stranger, who barely even knows him, assume for one second that he's lacking _confidence,_ to talk to a _girl_ , of all things.

This is the first time anyone has made his blood boil so much. Katsuki _thought_ he knew what it felt like to be angry, but nothing compares to what he's feeling right now.

This hag. How dare she. How dare she assume he's some sort of… _victim_ of circumstance.

And to add insult to injury, they've left him alone in the room with the girl. So that, _what_? He could convince her to leave her hiding spot? To put on this goody two-shoes act, play the role of some prince in shining armor, and make the girl feel at ease?

 _Befriend_ her?

Katsuki's had enough of this. This day was off to a bad start already, but _this_ was the final straw.

A squeak that comes out from the closet door reminds him of the source of all this bullcrap.

 _This girl._

Izuku Midoriya.

The girl who outdid him. The girl who thinks she's so smart for having thought up of such a clever idea before he did. The girl, who didn't even receive the slightest _hint_ of a punishment for her behavior today, for no other reason than being _a girl._

They want him to convince Izuku out?

Oh, he's gonna convince her to get out.

And he's gonna do it _his_ way.

Katsuki whirls around in the direction of the closet door.

"You're think you're so clever, don't you?" He says quietly, fists shaking

He's greeted by silence. Rage seers through him.

 _You think if you stay quiet, I'm not gonna notice you're there?_

 _Your little shy act might work on the grownups, but it sure as hell isn't gonna work on me._

Her mom said earlier on that Izuku's timid, but after thinking about it more, Katsuki bets that's just a ploy as well, to get what she wants out of situations. After all, what's the point in being "shy", anyway? There isn't one. It just makes you weak.

But what's worse is that, up until now, he's never at all considered that some people act shy in order to emotionally manipulate others. Of course, he'd never do something like that, as it's too cowardly for his taste, but it still bothers him how _he'd_ never even _considered_ the idea until now. And it bothers him, knowing that this girl thought of it before him.

Although he'll never admit it, he knows deep within him that he's been outdone. _Again._ But he's never gonna let _her_ know that.

"I know what you're doing. This little game of yours… I have it all figured out. So don't think for a second that it will work on me. " He says, voice dangerously low.

Katsuki hears a befuddled breath from the other side of the door, but aside from that, no direct response from her part.

 _You little…_

"You're playing the pity card," he continues, "You act scared so that you can get others to act the way you want. You act this way on purpose so that grownups won't be so hard on you."

He pauses, feeling himself grow ill at what he's about to say next.

"I won't lie." He says, bile rising in his throat, "It wasn't a half-bad idea."

 _That's the biggest compliment you'll ever get out of me, anyway._

Izuku's still being quiet. She's really starting to piss him off. What is her deal? She's already been figured out. There's no point for her to keep playing pretend.

"But… just because you thought of it before me, doesn't make you better than me, you hear?!"

No reply. Just silence from the other end.

…

…

Oh.

He gets it now.

.

 **She's looking down on him.**

That's it. Any self-restraint he's been trying to maintain is now lost.

"You. Piece. Of. Crap." he snarls, and before he knows it, he's kicking the door as hard as he can.

"W-what are you doing?!" A voice cries out from the closet door.

" _Oh,_ now _you're talking?!_ _Don't screw with me!_ _ **Get out!**_ " he roars, his fury blinding him from any reason. "Your whole shy act doesn't fool me. Quit acting like you're so much better than me. _**Quit looking down on me!**_ "

"S-stop!" She wails. "Please... please leave me alone!"

"If you think you're so much better than me, then face me in person!"

"Please… just, no more!"

"Either you open this door, or _**I break it down**_!"

"Please, stop this… You're scaring me…"

"You think I care?!"

"Alright! I'll leave. But please, just stop kicking the door!"

Katsuki continues to kick the door for another ten seconds before complying to the girl's request. He lost all rationale, sue him.

He then sits on the floor, panting heavily, his anger still present, but having lessened. Kicking a door can really tire a kid out and make one forget why they were mad to begin with.

After regaining his composure, he looks back up at the door. He didn't damage it, a fact he's surprised by, considering how hard he was kicking.

But it's still closed.

"Well?" he demands. "I'm _ **waiting**_."

"...Just… promise me you won't hurt me the second I leave. Or get into a fight with me, or hit me, or something-"

"I'm only gonna hurt you if you stay in there a second longer," he spits out.

There's a hesitant whimper, but the door opens regardless, albeit slowly.

"Hmph. Took you long enough-"

Normally, he would take more time to take in her appearance, if he weren't distracted by one thing.

The girl- The girl who he believed to have outdone him- has wet herself.

And suddenly, Katsuki realizes that perhaps her wimpiness wasn't an act after all.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ I apologize for not having updated in a while! Life can get in the way and adjasldkfja… You know how I said that chapters will be updated on a bi-weekly basis…? Lul wasn't that a fun idea ahahhaaha

Nah, but in all seriousness, I try to write and will try to update as often as I can. But, real life can prove to be tedious sometimes…

On another note; if all you're going to do is comment when I'm going to update, don't even bother. I find these types of comments incredibly rude and demanding. Demanding me to tell you when I'm going to update isn't going to make the next chapter come out any sooner. I'd rather you not comment at all, then.

Hoped you all enjoyed this chapter, and I hope the next one will come a lot sooner~ (letz hope lul)


	6. Izuku

Chapter Title: Izuku

 _This is the worst day of my life._

… _._

 _Why…_

 _Why…_

 _Why am I such... a failure?_

"Mom… I'm sorry."

Inko sighs as she ties up Izuku's zipper and straightens out her shirt.

"Why are you apologizing, Izuku?" Inko asks.

Izuku looks up at her mother but then turns away.

"Because. I… I made of a fool of us today."

 _Katsuki-san must think I'm the biggest idiot out there._

Inko purses her lip, forlorn.

"Izuku… " Inko fumbles.

Izuku can't meet her mother's gaze. "I just… I don't know what happened. I got so scared to meet Katsuki that I just…."

 _Just made a complete moron out of myself._ She shakes her head, trying to silence her self-critical voice.

"It's alright, Izuku. But… try not to do it again in the future, alright? You're a big girl now. Meeting a new person shouldn't be this… stressful.

 _I know it shouldn't._

 _Then… why is it?_

 _Why does the thought of her making a new friend scare her so much?_

…

 _Dummy._

She already knows the answer to that.

It's because she's weak.

 _Xx_

"I'm very sorry for all of this."

Mitsuki snorts. "Inko-san, please. No need to keep apologizing."

By this point, Katsuki's indifferent to whatever bullcrap is in store for him for the rest of the day. The worst has passed, (he hopes) and if things go as he expects, he'll survive the day mostly unscathed. It'll be an _annoying_ one, but he'll manage.

As both their mothers speak, Katsuki stares at Izuku, who is clinging to Inko's leg, her eyes focused on the ground.

A pathetic sight, really.

He snorts. Well, as long as Izuku does whatever he wants for the rest of the day, he'll tolerate her. He promised his mother that he'd play nice, but by this point he doesn't care about following that demand of hers. He knows the two of them will left alone in Izuku's room, and with enough convincing, he's sure he'll be able to stop Izuku from telling on him if he ends up playing too roughly with her. _That_ shouldn't be hard— if her cowardly display is anything to go by.

He hopes his mother has nothing against them playing a game of bloody knuckles. Of course, not that Mitsuki will find _out_.

" _Kacchan."_

Katsuki instantly snaps back to reality upon hearing his mother call him his nickname- a nickname that drives him _crazy_ beyond all belief.

" _What._ " He spits out. _Is she trying to annoy me on purpose now?_

"Quit zoning out all the time! I'm talking to you, for Christs' sake," His mother snaps. "As Inko-san was saying," Mitsuki continues. "This is how things are are gonna go. Me and Inko-san are going to be in the living room, discussing topics related to our work for the rest of the day. As for _you,_ you're going to be playing with Izuku, in her room, for the rest of the day."

 _I already knew those things, old hag._

"Another thing; you're going to play whatever games Izuku wants to play."

Katsuki, Inko, and even Izuku- both straighten their necks in surprise at this declaration.

Katsuki was told he'd have to play nice, he knows that; but to play _only_ what Izuku wanted? No. No, no, no.

"What?!" Katsuki shouts. "Mom, you can't-"

Before he has a chance to protest, his mother pulls him by the ear.

To Katsuki's gratitude, Inko steps in with her thoughts.

"Mitsuki, that's really not necessary," she begins, "I'm sure the two of them can compromise and find games they both want to play."

Not exactly what Katsuki has in mind, but he'll take that as opposed to having a girl choose _entirely_ what they're going to play.

"Nonsense, Inko-san. Above all, Izuku is a girl, and knowing my son, any games Katsuki wants to play will be way too rough on her."

There his mother goes again, with the whole "girls should be protected" nonsense. He inwardly groans.

Well, to hell with his mother. They're going to play what _he_ wants to play today, and he'll make _sure_ Izuku keeps her mouth shut regarding that.

Mitsuki then stares down at Izuku, a petrifying look in her eyes.

 _Oh no. Not that look._

"Izuku-chan," she begins, her voice mesmerizing, "Feel free to tell _Kacchan_ which games you want to play with him. And by the end of the day, I want you to tell me if you had a fun day. Is… that alright?"

 _This._

 _Hag._

He swears he's going to murder Mitsuki the second he grows up.

He wants to punch the wall- he knows he's lost. While _he's_ generally immune to his mother's manipulation tactics, she herself is skilled at making more sensitive people do what she wants, even more so than him.

And he knows that today, if he doesn't abide by his mother, Mitsuki _will_ find out. She'll keep pressing Izuku for answers and will detect if Izuku's lying.

So. To put things lightly.

He's screwed.

Xx

It's been five minutes since the adults left Katsuki and Izuku in her room, and all they've been doing is sitting on her bed, silent. Izuku, uncomfortable, while Katsuki… well. Hard to read, but he sure doesn't seem _comfortable_ with the situation they're both in.

Izuku finally decides to cut to the chase.

"So… it's… nice to meet you, Katsuki-kun."

Katsuki doesn't reply. He seems lost in thought; his eyes are cold and focused, and Izuku notices that he's trying hard not to shake.

While Izuku admits this display is intimidating, part of her is intrigued by it as well. In order to compensate for being a loner, she typically spends a good amount of time analyzing the people around her, and so far… she doesn't know what to make of this boy.

 _Aggressive, he seems, judging by his attempt to nearly kill me earlier on. Analytical…? Judging by how he's acting now._

 _And definitely…_

 _Scary._

"Can you quit with the staring, nerd?" he snarls.

Izuku flinches, and retreats to the other end of the bed.

 _He noticed!_

"S-Sorry!" she blurts out.

"Tch."

The silence resumes for another minute or so. Sweat beads down Izuku's forehead and she bites the inside of her cheek while staring at the ground.

 _Are… things just gonna be like this for the rest of the day?_ She thinks to herself miserably.

This time, Katsuki breaks the ice.

"I still can't believe you peed yourself," he snorts, "That's something only babies do."

Izuku's face turns beet red and she lowers her head in shame.

 _He's… mean._

He doesn't stop there, though.

"I get that you're a girl and all, but… that just makes you more gross."

 _Ow…_

Yet she doesn't defend herself, because she knows he's right.

"And what's worse is that, I'm gonna have to _play_ with that type of person for the rest of the day." He grumbles.

 _Owww…._

"Anyway," he continues, getting to his feet. He stretches, then turns around to face her.

"Izuku, right? That's your name?"

She nods.

"You're probably the lamest person I've ever met."

 _Ouch._

That settled it.

Izuku bites her lip and before she knows it, tears start streaming down her cheeks.

Katsuki's eyes widen in alarm and he rushes over to her, grabs her by the shoulders.

"H—hey, don't cry!l" he exclaims, panicked. ""Crap… Please, whatever you do, just _don't cry!_ "

But his pleas cause her to cry harder and tears to fall faster.

"Crap… I can't get in trouble _so soon_ ," he pants under his breath. "Please, Izuku. Please stop crying. Please, I really don't want to get in trouble. Not _now,_ at least."

Izuku rubs her eyes and tries to even out her breathing. After a minute of doing so, she starts to regain her composure.

"Sorry…" She says quietly.

Katsuki sighs in relief and releases his hold on her.

"You really cry easily, don't you?" he remarks, eyes narrowed. "Jesus… how does anyone put up with you?"

He regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth, as he doesn't miss the way Izuku flinches at them.

 _Crap. Can't have her start crying again._ He thinks in alarm.

To his surprise, she doesn't.

She simply coils into a ball and lowers her head.

"I wish I knew the answer to that," She replies despondently.

Her words cause an uncomfortable feeling to tug at his gut.

One he's not familiar with.

He scoffs and pushes the feeling away.

Feeling bad for her won't get him anywhere.


	7. Explosion

**A/N:** I'd like to thank all of you for the reviews/favorites/follows! And I apologize for not being able to update on a weekly basis as I promised.

* * *

Katsuki clears his throat. "So, this is how things are gonna go down. You tell me which games you want to play, and I'll pick the one that sounds the least stupid. Sound good?"

Izuku nods and taps her chin, contemplating.

"What sort of games do you like to play?" She asks.

"Bloody knuckles. Wrestling. Tug-of-war."

"… I don't think I'd like those games very much."

" _Shocker."_

Izuku's cheeks turn pink. Katsuki snorts.

"My mom said we have a lot in common, but the more this day passes, the more I'm finding _that_ harder to believe," he scoffs.

While Izuku's lost in thought, Katsuki analyzes her room. There's nothing in the room that indicates it belongs to a little girl like her, aside from her bed. The walls are white, empty of any décor, and there aren't any toys in sight.

He supposes it's because she's just moved here, but still. Isn't there _anything_ interesting about this girl?

He looks over to her drawer, located on the left of her bed.

"Is this where you keep your toys?" He asks, and without bothering to wait for a response he starts walking in its direction.

Izuku's head jerks upward. "Wa—wait, don't open that drawer!" she says fervently.

Katsuki's eyes widen.

"This… This is…"

No.

It couldn't be.

"The limited edition figure of All Might!"

He whirls around and faces Izuku. She's looking at the ground, face beet red.

"How…" Katsuki's at a loss for words. This had to be the most expensive model on the market right now- all of his friends wanted it, but it was rare, and even he didn't own it.

Why was such an expensive rare artifact… in her hands?!

This girl…

"Where did you get this?" Katsuki demands, "and why do… _you, all of people,_ have it?"

This is so unfair. It's bad enough that she did all those things today, but now…

The blond young boy sighs and massages his temples.

He's so exhausted from the emotional turmoil he's been put through today that he hasn't even the strength to be as angry as he _should_ be.

Izuku presses her index fingers together, her face pale, and gaze fixated on the ground.

"Well?" he asks, exasperated.

She doesn't respond. Izuku's hands merely fall to her sides, and she just stands there, gaze obscured by her bangs, face growing paler by the second.

God, is she annoying. How he'd love to just ram her up against the wall and make her spit it out.

Katsuki's eyes darken.

"You gonna answer me," he snarls, advancing slowly towards her with his fists balled, " _n e r d_?"

Izuku looks back up at him, eyes tear- stricken. tears in her eyes.

Suddenly the uncomfortable feeling that he felt in his gut earlier on returns, and he stops in his tracks, his anger momentarily faltering.

Why…

Why is she crying?

"I didn't want anyone to see, or know that I had that action figure." She says, sniffling.

He blinks in confusion before his eyes narrow.

"Oh, I get it. You think that you're so special for having that figure that you wanted to keep it all to yourself, not let anyone else know you had it."

Izuku's expression changes to that of surprise, and for a brief second- hope glimmers through her eyes.

"Eh? No… I mean… " She shakes her head violently. "I mean. You aren't weirded out by the fact that I own this?"

God, she sure just loved to push his buttons.

 _She can sense I'm jealous of her. The little brat._

"Weirded out?" He snarls. "Please. It's the lamest thing I've ever seen. I'd expect nothing else from a loser like you."

He doesn't regret the lie he told at all. Not one bit. Her reaction is priceless.

He's never been a fan of beating a dead house—but he's curious to see how slaughtering the runt of the litter feels like.

"That being said— you can't even pick your shitty toys right. Any toy that's related to a Hero should _not_ be in the hands of a creature like you.

He taps his chin.

"It's a crime against nature, really."

Izuku bites her lip and looks at the ground.

 _He's right._ She thinks to herself miserably. _I'm…_

Oddly, she isn't crying.

"You're right." She says quietly.

"What?"

She looks back up at him, eyes devoid of emotion.

"I'm everything you say I am," she says. "I'm a weakling, a crybaby, and a loser. And to top it all off, I'm a girl who'd rather play with action figures than normal girl toys."

Oh God, she can feel the tears come back again. Dang it… why did she cry so much?!

"I'm supposed to like normal girl stuff… but… I just don't. I don't like being a girl. Almost all of the time, I think about how much cooler it'd be if I were born a boy." She whimpers, "Boys don't cry so easily… and the things they like are so much cooler, too. I look up to them, _so much._ I… I look up to Heroes too, _so. Much._ "

She wipes her nose. "I have only the worst traits that make up a girl, not the good. And for these reasons, I can't make a cool impression on neither girls, nor boys."

She bites her lip.

"I'm just…"

 _Worthless._

 _Useless._

 _A failure._

So many negative words come to her mind, but all pale in comparison to the one that fits her most.

"A nothing."

Katsuki's lost.

He feels bad. He's aware of that. But he _never_ feels bad for _anyone_.

And the fact that he's pitying someone who he also considers to be a "nothing", disturbs him.

 _Do something, Katsuki!_ His inner voice screams at him.

But he can't.

"You can have that figure."

Wait. Did he hear that right?

"Wha?" He exclaims.

Izuku wipes her nose and gazes into eyes, a determined look adorning her face.

"You can have it." She says steadily. "You might think it's junk just because it belongs to me, but… you shouldn't. That figure is one of the most expensive and high quality on the market right now."

She sighs and scratches the back of her head. "A figure like that is better off in the hands of a boy like you, than… a girl like me."

He drops the figure in question, aghast.

"You… you'd give this to me?"

Izuku nods. "I know it might mean nothing to you, considering I'm the biggest loser you've ever met, but… please accept it. A cool toy like that… it's meant for a boy, not a girl like me."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Katsuki barks.

This girl…

.

She blinks, and looks away. "N-No, I mean…"

He grits his teeth. "You've got to be kidding me."

Izuku shakes her head. "I'm not, I—-"

He finds it hard to speak.

He's definitely never felt like this before. "You really…" _What is this…?_ "hate yourself…" _What is this?_ Why is his voice shaking?

 _ **Why?**_

Katsuki never feels bad for anyone.

Katsuki…

Has never _cried_ for anyone.

"That _much_?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Comments mean the world to me. If you've got some spare time, I'd deeply appreciate hearing all of your guys' thoughts on this chapter.


	8. The Fun has Begun

The Fun has Begun

 _Is…_

 _Is… Katsuki-kun..._ _ **crying?**_

Katsuki's eyes suddenly meet Izuku's, his glare stopping her train of thought.

"Listen up, nerd!" He yells. Izuku shrieks in fear.

"W—what?!" What did she do?!

"You can keep your lame toy," he spits, wiping his nose, "I'm not interested in accepting _anything_ from the likes of you. You hear me?!"

Izuku can only stand there, petrified.

This boy… he's completely…

She isn't scared.

She's not scared.

She isn't even hurt.

She's _angry._

A dam breaks within her. One she didn't know even existed.

"What is your deal!?" She screams. "Do you know how hard it was for me to _say_ that?! To _do_ something like that?"

This feeling… this _rage…_ is foreign to her. And considering her emotions are generally out of whack anyway, that's saying something.

"Gimme a break." Katsuki gnarls. His head is lowered and his bangs conceal his eyes. "You think I don't know how your kind thinks? You've been playing me for a fool this whole time."

"My _what_?!" Her _**kind?!**_ "What are you even talking about?! What you're doing and saying makes no sense at all!"

"Shut up!" he barks, his face turning red for some reason she can't comprehend. "You're just a stupid girl, what would you know?"

At that insult, Izuku finds _her_ face heating up. "Yeah, I'm a stupid girl, but I'm not so stupid that I'd refuse an awesome toy like this!"

"Just. **Shut.** _ **Up.**_ "

"I will not!" she spits, "This whole day so far, you've threatened me with violence, you call me awful things… and even when I decide to offer you my most precious possession, you refuse to accept it out of some foolish pride! _You're a jerk! A cold-hearted bully who only knows how to hurt others, and who's never felt the slightest shred of compassion for anyone else in your life!_ "

Before she knows it, he grabs her by the collar of her shirt. He looks straight into her eyes. Under normal circumstances Izuku probably would have felt her blood go cold, but her blood is _boiling_ right now.

"You don't know anything about me." Katsuki tells her coldly.

Izuku doesn't even blink.

"I know enough to tell what type of person you are." She replies fiercely, and slaps his hand away from her. "And I can tell by now, that you're not someone who deserves a toy like this. Nor are you someone I want to be friends with."

Katsuki's gaze is unrelenting, but Izuku doesn't look away. She's not going to back down. She's had enough of crying and cowering in fear.

"All Might is my idol. He's the greatest hero the world has seen in a long time." She announces. "He's noble, caring… and when push comes to shove, he always saves the day. He's a person everyone should look up to, a person everyone should try to be like."

She looks down at the figure Katsuki had dropped and walks over to pick it up.

"I'm nothing like him," she says quietly, her eyes mournful as she stares at the figure.

She looks back at Katsuki.

"But neither are you." She says, voice devoid of any emotion. "I can see that now."

This is it. Izuku's dead. Katsuki is going to kill her for saying that, but Izuku isn't afraid. In fact, it's the first time she's felt so… sure of herself. So sure of what she's saying, and doing.

Is this feeling… confidence?

She's positive it is.

Katsuki's… expression is hard to discern. He's clearly angered by her words, but truth be told, she expected a more violent reaction out of him. Infact, she's surprised he hasn't attacked her by now.

Then, out of nowhere.

He _chuckles._

Izuku blinks. _What?_

"This day has been. So. Goddamn. _Lame_." He mutters, and sits on the ground. Izuku's eyes narrow.

"That's another thing." she snaps, "I don't like your language. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to use bad words?"

Katsuki snorts. "Yeah, she did. But only losers actually listen to their parents regarding that type of stuff." He gets back to his feet and stretches his arms.

"Listen up, uh… Izuku, that's your name, right?"

Izuku nods, unsure of what he's getting at. She doesn't know what to make of his behavior so far.

Katsuki smirks. "I figured out what game we're gonna play."

* * *

A/N: Please review~ xoxo


	9. Potential

Katsuki has to admit- while he in no way _likes_ Izuku, he's finding her to be a bit more… _interesting_ than how she first presented herself. While she's definitely a whiny crybaby who deserves a good beating or two to set her in place, so far, she's done several things that… were actually kind of… cool. She offered him a toy that he'd been wanting the second it came out, and to top it off, she had the balls to tell Katsuki to his face what she truly thought of him. Now; while all those things are clearly _wrong_ , Katsuki still somewhat commends the fact that she was able to do it with a straight face.

Don't get him wrong- Izuku's still definitely a trainwreck of an individual. You just don't cry, and pee your pants when you're eight years old and expect not to get judged for that. That's just not how it works, everyone knows that.

But, despite that. There's something in her that he doesn't see often in other sniveling kids his age.

Potential.

There's something in this girl that could rival his own greatness, one day. And while the animalistic part of his mind had been telling him up until now to destroy this girl's capabilities and fragile psyche while he still can, he just… _can't._

He doesn't want to. At this point, he's far more interested in seeing how this girl will turn out, if she has the right person to guide her. With him being there to influence her, who knows… she might prove to be a formidable rival one day. Or even a formidable friend.

Of course, it's a far-fetched idea, but still. It's worth a shot.

* * *

 _"I figured out what game we're gonna play."_

With just that one line, the atmosphere has suddenly changed.

Izuku's at a complete loss, and she can't for the life of her figure out _what_ Katsuki's playing at. The aura he's radiating is intense and intimidating, but oddly enough, it isn't malicious. If anything… it's almost as though he's _excited_.

"Game?" Izuku echoes. "What-"

He cuts her off. "If I win this game... When the day is over, you tell our parents that I'm a saint, and that you had the greatest day of your life. And you take back what you said about me being nothing like All Might. "

Izuku's stunned, but finds herself asking him, "And if I win?"

"You pick."

If there were a software engineer in the room, they'd be able to detect that Izuku's hard drive has stopped working.

Izuku shakes her head violently, trying to wrap her head around what's going on.

"Y-You're not making any sense, Katsuki-kun…"

Katsuki sighs and rubs his temples.

"I can't even begin to list all the things you've done today that's pissed me off, Izuku. Ranging from your endless blubbering, to calling me a jerk and a cold-hearted bully. But if I'm going to be honest, I can let all of that slide. The things you've done so far are definitely stupid, but they're something I can control my temper over."

Izuku is suddenly reminded of the anger she felt earlier on, but before she can speak up and let some of it out, he keeps talking.

"But you know what I'm not gonna let slide?" he hisses, "You giving me this whole speech about how All Might is the greatest hero that exists, and then having the balls to tell me I'm nothing like him."

He cracks his knuckles.

"Let's make something clear. You know _nothing_ about what it means to be a Hero. A small fry like you has no right to tell _me_ , of all people, that I'm nothing like All Might. Your view of what makes a person a Hero is wrong. Being a Hero isn't about being noble or kind or whatever. It's about winning. A Hero is someone who always wins. It doesn't matter how they do it. It doesn't matter who gets hurt. It doesn't even matter _who_ or _why_ you're fighting. All that matters, is if you win."

Izuku can't believe what she's hearing _. What kind of messed up mentality is that?!_ She thinks to herself, aghast.

"By winning this game, I'll prove to you that I've got what it takes to be a pro Hero. And if you win, you get to prove to me that you're not a complete loser. I think that sounds reasonably fair.

So. Are you in, or out?" Katsuki asks.

"W-Wait a second!" She exclaims, "What sort of game would we even be playing? And why do _you_ get to pick what game we're going to play and what the rewards are?"

Furthermore, why is she even considering playing a game with him after everything he's done to her so far? She's an idiot.

Katsuki furrows his brow and groans in annoyance.

"Oh yeah. I forgot, you're the one who's supposed to pick what games we're gonna play," he sighs and sits back on the ground, legs crossed. "Lame."

"You still didn't tell me what game you had in mind," Izuku pouts.

"It doesn't matter," he grunts, "It's not something you'd wanna play."

Izuku's eyes narrow. "You can't know that unless you tell me what it is."

"Nah. I already know you won't like it. A spineless coward like you wouldn't be up for it."

Rage sears through Izuku.

"I am not a spineless coward!" she squeaks, "So just tell me what the game is already!"

Katsuki's lips curl into a smirk, and he gets back on his feet.

"Well, since you _insist,_ " he says, and flicks her nose, prompting Izuku to squeak in alarm. "Ow!"

Katsuki pays her distress no mind. "Alright, so this is how you play."


	10. Change of Heart

"The rules are simple, really. The first person who manages to hold the other person in a chokehold for longer than five seconds wins."

Izuku pales. So it's that type of game. She thinks to herself in disdain.

Katsuki taps his chin, lost in thought. "Let's see. What else…"

He sighs. "I haven't gotten my quirk yet, so using quirks aren't allowed."

He eyes Izuku. "What about you, have you gotten your quirk yet?"

Izuku shakes her head. Katsuki nods curtly.

"Anyway… Scratching and biting is forbidden. Punches, jabs and kicks are allowed, but you can't hit one spot on the body repeatedly. Oh yeah, and you can't hit me in the balls."

He pauses, and then points awkwardly in the direction of Izuku's groin, his eyes darting to the ceiling. "Nor can I hit you… uh… there."

Katsuki then looks at her straight in the eye, his gaze burning into hers.

"You think you're up for it, nerd?"

Izuku's lips tremble.

"Why would you want to play something like this?" she asks uneasily. "We'll get hurt. And our parents probably wouldn't be okay with us playing a game like this."

Katsuki continues to stare at her, but he doesn't reply. Or at least, not immediately. Fifteen solid seconds of staring go by before he finally responds.

"Well, aside from me itching to land some punches on you after all that you did today, there's another reason why I think playing this game would be good for the both of us."

He sighs. "Because you and me aren't that different." He deadpans.

"What?"

Katsuki's expression doesn't change.

"We both look up to Heroes. We both like All Might. And we both want to be Heroes one day."

His brow furrows and he grabs his chin.

"Actually, I'm not so sure about that last part, although… I get the feeling that I'm not wrong. You do want to be a Hero when you grow up, don't you, Izuku?"

Izuku feels her face turn red.

"I don't remember ever telling you that," she mumbles.

Katsuki snorts. "Yeah, please. You didn't have to. That face tells me everything."

Izuku looks at the ground. Of course she wants to be a Hero when she grows up, it's all she ever fantasizes about. But it's a dream that's out of her reach, and one she knows she'll never be able to accomplish. Fearfulness and shyness are not what makes a person Hero material.

"So what if I want to be a Hero?" she says despondently, "I already know I don't have what it takes to become one."

"That isn't true."

Izuku's lips slightly part in surprise.

"What?"

Katsuki hesitates for a moment. Then he scratches the back of his head, curses under his breath, clicks his tongue.

When he decides to finally speak up, Izuku is rendered speechless.

"You do have what it takes to become a Hero, Izuku."

The oxygen is buzzing everywhere, and yet Izuku can't breathe.

"You just need some… work," Katsuki drawls. "You've never had anyone to push you in the right direction, to bring out the inner fighter in you. Thankfully, you're not a complete lost cause." He points his thumb to himself. "You've got the next future Number 1 Hero standing right here, who's gonna be a positive influence on you from here on out."

Before Izuku has a chance to reply, Katsuki beckons his right hand towards her.

"You want to be a Hero? Then step up. Rise to the challenge that's in front of you. Show me again that girl who had the guts to tell me off to my face."

Izuku should just leave. She should have told on Katsuki the second he threatened to break her door down. She shouldn't even entertain the idea of playing this sort of game with a ruffian like him. He did so many terrible things to her so far, she should just not even bother.

And yet…

She finds herself unable to move.

She's mesmerized.

Katsuki continues, his voice solemn.

"My quirk may not have come in yet, but… when it does, I know that it'll be best the world has seen in a long time. Even better than All Might's."

How can he say that with such confidence? Izuku thinks to herself in awe.

"And when it does, I swear. I'll put my everything into mastering that quirk, to honing my abilities as a Hero. It's not a dream. It's something I know will become a reality. I won't let anybody get in my way of becoming the best. If that's the same dream you have, Izuku. Then fight for it. Let's see who's more qualified to become Number One."

If Izuku weren't so distracted by the strange feelings arising in her stomach, she would have laughed.

It's weird.

How she doesn't see a tyrannical spoiled brat in front of her anymore.

Katsuki now shines before her like a ray of sunlight.

His words burn into her very being, but without the sun, Izuku wouldn't be able to sustain herself.

What Katsuki's told her, ranging from his belief that she could become a Hero one day, to his promise of being there to support her dream, to his sheer confidence and determination to fight for the position of becoming the Number 1 Hero, are things she's wanted to hear for so, so long now. From anyone her age.

Izuku didn't realize it then, but later in life, she'll come to realize that was the moment she fell in love with Katsuki Bakugō.


	11. Breakdown

Izuku half-smiles.

"Alright. I'll do it."

Katsuki grins.

"That's the spirit. I gotta say... I thought you'd chicken out. Glad to see that you haven't. "

"I've never done this before, so odds are I'll lose. That being said… if you win, I'd like you to teach me how you won. If I'm going to be a Hero one day, I have to start learning some fighting techniques as soon as possible." Izuku replies.

Katsuki's eyes glimmer.

"Will do. But don't forfeit the match before it's even begun. Anyway, you got any idea what your reward should be?"

Izuku shakes her head. Katsuki sighs.

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to figure it out by the time the day's over."

He gets into a fighting stance. "You ready?"

Izuku shakily raises her fists defensively. "Not exactly, but I'm not going to back down."

"Let's begin then."

* * *

"That's longer than five seconds! Let me go now! Owwwww! You're hurting me!"

Izuku gasps in surprise and releases her hold on Katsuki. Katsuki touches his neck, taking in deep sharp breaths.

"S-Sorry!" She exclaims, and tries to place a hand on his shoulder, worried.

Katsuki swats her hand away from him.

"Don't. **Touch**. _**Me.**_ " He rasps between heavy breaths, his voice oozing toxic fumes.

Izuku blinks, and as she comes to her senses, it hits her.

 _She's won the game!_

She's surprised she did, and even more surprised that she got out of this game with barely a scratch. All she did was dodge and run away from most of Katsuki's blows, and once she noticed that Katsuki had tired himself out, she took advantage of the opportunity and got him in her clutches. This was the only strategy she knew she could employ, seeing as she's never fought before.

She doesn't have time to feel satisfied over her victory, though; she's more concerned over Katsuki's wellbeing. Physical and emotional.

 _I didn't hurt him too much, did I? It was only for a couple seconds… oh gosh, how is he going to take losing against me? He's bound to get mad. Dang it… what should I do?_

Katsuki snaps her out of her thoughts.

"I can't believe you actually won." He says, his voice more clear now. He retracts his hand from his neck.

"You won. Against _me,_ of all people." He whispers.

He grits his teeth, balls his fists, and Izuku braces herself for his wrath, but instead, he turns away from her and sits on the ground.

"K-Katsuki-kun?"

"Don't talk to me right now."

Izuku obeys his wish. Him losing was definitely a huge blow to his pride, so offering him silence is the least she can do for him right now.

Thirty seconds of silence pass on by. It's become apparent that Katsuki is doing everything within his power to keep his anger under wraps, something Izuku is gratefully surprised by.

Then, he speaks.

"You're… awesome."

In an instant, Izuku's entire face; _no,_ her entire _body_ ; turns red.

"W-What?"

Katsuki hesitates.

"You're awesome. Izuku."

Okay, this definitely was _not_ the same boy who nearly put a fist through her face earlier on that day.

And also, why is she _blushing,_ of all things?!

"I thought you said I was the lamest person you ever met," she replies. Among other terrible things he called her.

"Well, sometimes even great people like me can misjudge a person's character, alright?" he retorts. Upon closer inspection, Izuku realizes that _he's_ blushing as well.

Seriously… _Just what is going on?_

"You didn't know what you were getting into, and yet you still agreed to play this sort of game with me." He inhales. "And aside from that, you thought of a pretty good strategy on how to beat me. So. All those things do make you kind of cool."

Izuku scratches the back of her neck.

"You're… being really nice to me. It's weird," she admits, her cheeks still crimson.

Katsuki doesn't reply, or at least not immediately. He wasn't trying to be nice, he just…

Infact, why _did_ he dish out those compliments to her? And why isn't he _that_ angry over the fact that she beat him? No… he _is_ angry. He just. Somehow doesn't have it in him to take it out on her. After everything she's shown to him so far about her personality, it wouldn't be fair of him to do that. Taking out his anger on her is something a cold-hearted bully would do. And he's not a cold-hearted bully, even if she thinks he is. He just gets pissed easily often.

That being said, he doesn't even want to be a little ball of unjustified rage anymore.

 _Is this how being a loser feels like?_ He laughs inwardly. Knowing that he lost to Izuku in a game he's normally good at really does teach a person a good thing or two about humility.

Not to mention, it hurts.

Hurts so much, that all his anger fades, and is replaced with an emotion that he rarely ever allows to grab a hold of him.

And with that, Katsuki's walls are broken down, and he cries.

"K-Katsuki-kun?" Izuku calls out.

 _Stop pitying me, Izuku._

Although he knows very well, that he deserves to be pitied for the failure of a person that he is.

 _You're not superior to me, Izuku, after all of this. You're just… not…_

He knows he's lying to himself. But the lies he's telling himself are all he can do to try and keep his tears from falling.


	12. Apology

_**A/N:**_ Special thanks to Emocean for giving me some ideas on how to further flesh out the story; in particular, Izuku's upbringing .

Regarding the kids' vocabulary in this fic, I've been told that the way they've been talking might be a tad advanced for kids their age. This is something I've been aware of since the beginning, and have been taking into consideration as I write, but at the end of the day, I don't want to sacrifice the storytelling for the sake of dumbing down their dialogue to fit their age. So, just roll with it guys!

* * *

Watching Katsuki cry is excruciating.

But Izuku knows, that if she tries to shower Katsuki with words of support right now, it would only serve to make things worse.

So, she sits down beside him, legs criss-crossed, looks at the ground, and waits. Waits for him to get all of his pent up emotions out.

And she doesn't even take how much time passes into consideration.

* * *

At some point, the sniffles and whimpers gradually decease. Izuku doesn't say anything, though. She waits for Katsuki to be the first one to speak up.

And like before, she doesn't mind waiting.

"You know. I was convinced you were faking earlier today." He finally says, albeit quietly.

She looks at him. "What do you mean?"

His eyes are swollen, but they aren't producing tears anymore. "I'm talking about you hiding behind your closet to avoid meeting me. And hiding in other places whenever guests you didn't wanna meet came over."

Izuku bites her lip. She didn't know Katsuki knew that last piece of information. Her mother must have told him.

"I didn't think you did those things because you were _actually_ shy. I was certain it was just an act, at first."

The fact that he thought she was faking her shyness distressed her. "What made you realize that it wasn't?"

"Seeing you pee your pants." He says flatly. "I don't think any kid would take an act that far."

Embarrassment washes over Izuku as the memory of what she did earlier that day resurfaces. She isn't given time to dwell on it, as Katsuki cuts off her train of thought.

"Why were you so shy and scared to meet me?" He asks plainly. "And why would you hate yourself so much, that you'd offer me one of your most precious possessions? I just don't… get it."

Izuku's brow furrows as she contemplates Katsuki's question. She's never thought about _why_ she has such low self-esteem before. It could have to do with the fact that... well…

"I don't have any friends." She replies. "I'm teased by other girls my age at my school for liking boy things, and boys just think I'm plain weird for liking the same things they do. So both of them avoid me, never let me play games with them, and call me names. It's always been like that, so… at some point, I just gave up on trying to make friends. It's easier to play with yourself than to have other kids make fun of you all the time."

But that couldn't be the only reason, could it? She pauses as she tries to remember what else has happened in her life that resulted in her becoming an excessive wallflower. Her mother was probably least responsible for her turning out the way she is. She's nothing but patient and understanding. Her father, on the other hand…

Hisashi is rarely present in her life, as his workload is more demanding than Inko's. But when he does spend time with Izuku, he yells. A lot. At both Izuku and Inko. He's never raised a hand against the two of them, but. A lot of his words sting to this very day.

She shifts her gaze back to the ground as she recalls numerous sentences her father has told her in the past.

" _Izuku. You need to start acting more like a girl. You're not meant for this Hero business."_

" _Izuku, what did I tell you about watching those types of TV shows?!_

" _Stop bothering me right now, I can't entertain you, I have work to do!"_

" _Izuku. You aren't a boy. Quit acting like one."_

Because of this, Izuku has never formulated a solid opinion on her father. He does his best to take care of both Inko and her with his job, that she knows, but. She doesn't know if all that means she has an obligation to like him. She'd rather be around her mother as opposed to Hisashi.

She's relieved that Hisashi wasn't there to witness her wetting herself today. He wouldn't have taken it well.

"There's also my dad." She says at last. "He gets really mad easily at both me and my mom. You know that figure I wanted to give you? Well, my dad basically snapped when he saw that my mom bought it for me. He said that her buying me a boy's toy would make me confused about my identity as a girl… or something. He even wanted to throw it out, but my mom managed to convince him otherwise."

"I see." He replies, and then scoffs. "I swear, why are boys and girls constantly treated so differently? I never… got that."

"Me neither. It's lame."

"You can say that again."

Then, silence. Before;

"I'm sorry." Katsuki says with an air of resignation.

Silence again.

"What?" Izuku says in alarm. Gee, 'what' sure seems to be turning into her catchphrase. "Sorry _..?_ ... For what?"

Katsuki throat grumbles before he repeats himself.

"I'm sorry. For how I've been acting. I've been… a jerk. And I've been acting like a cold-hearted bully, like you said. You were… _right_ … to call me those things. I just… I really didn't want to be here today. My mom basically dragged me here against my will, and then she even told me that I couldn't play what I wanted. I'm just… the sort of person who hates not getting what I want. More so than other kids our age. I wanted to spend the day playing Heroes and Villains with my friends. Not… namby-pamby prissy games with a _girl_. Which is what I thought would happen, once I came here. So… yeah. I'm sorry for every bad thing I've done to you so far. I had my reasons."

Throughout his whole apology, he's been fumbling with his fingers. This is… actually the first time he's genuinely apologized before, to _anyone_. Apologies are something he's always been against dealing, but that's changed now. It's a foreign feeling, telling someone you're sorry for something, but he hopes he did it justice.

He can't bring himself to make eye contact with Izuku, but judging from her lack of an immediate reply, she's probably stunned.

"I know I said I thought you were lame, but if we're going to be honest, _I'm_ the lame one out of the two of us." He adds, begrudgingly.

"You aren't lame, Katsuki-kun. Don't say that about yourself."

He sneers. "Please. The list of lame things I've done today are endless. Don't make me list them all."

Suddenly, Izuku clasps her hands over his own. Katsuki blinks. _The hell is she doing...?_

"Katsuki-kun, that game we played... I didn't even know half of what I was doing! And you were really close to beating me a lot of times!"

Oh, _hell no_. He is _not_ going to listen to her attempts at _comforting_ him.

"Don't bother trying to make me feel better," he snaps, and wriggles his hands out of her own. " _Close_ isn't good enough. A Hero is supposed to _always_ win."

"There's more to being a Hero than winning all the time, Katsuki-kun." She says firmly. God, why is she so stubborn? She needs to just shut up.

"Yeah, _no."_

Suddenly, she's grabbed him by the collar and her nose is an alarmingly few inches away from his face.

"Katsuki-kun. The only reason I won, is because you gave me the confidence to try and fight for my dream. You... made me believe in myself in a way that I never have before. I didn't think I had fight in me, but you were right. All I needed, was someone to give me a push in the right direction. You... changed something in me, and... if that's not heroic-like, then... I don't know what is."

Katsuki doesn't why, but Izuku's words cause a fierce blush to spread across his face.

He places his hands on her chest and pushes her away.

"Right," he mutters, unable to look her in the face. Crap, why does he feel so light-headed? And why does his heart feel like it's about to explode out of his chest?

All these... _feelings_ , are just further confirmation of how lame he is, he concludes.

Izuku then suddenly gets to her feet. "I know what I want for my reward now."

Katsuki blinks, and looks back up at her. Huh?"

"You said you wanted to play Heroes and Villains with your friends today, right?" She smiles. A really damn cute one, if he's going to be honest. "Well, Katsuki-kun. I want to play that game too. So let's go and turn our wishes into a reality, shall we?"

This girl is going to be the death of him one day.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** As usual, I love your guys' comments. Means the world to me, reading your reactions/thoughts/opinions to certain parts in the story. :) 💖 Every one of your words count.


	13. An Adult's Intuition

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" Inko says wistfully.

Izuku grabs the fabric of her pants tightly.

Mitsuki nods. "Unfortunately, yes. I just remembered that Katsuki has a dentist appointment later today, so we need to be heading out as soon as possible if we want to make it on time."

Mitsuki looks down at Izuku; although, Izuku can't bring it in her to return the older woman's gaze.

"So, did you have a fun day, Izuku-chan?" She asks, smiling.

Fun? Please.

Fun is too weak a word to describe how amazing her day was.

Izuku never figured how much she'd enjoy this day, especially considering how awful it started. The first game she played with Katsuki was alright in itself; a challenge that brought out something in her never seen before. But the next game they played was pure bliss. She'd always wanted to play Heroes and Villains with someone before, but the opportunity had never presented itself. Until today.

Words could not describe how enjoyable it was. Izuku insisted to Katsuki that she be the Hero first, something he reluctantly accepted, considering she won the last game. After a few minutes of figuring out what their powers and names should be, they began to play.

" _My name is Tempest Gal, and in the name of all that's good, I will put a stop to you, Cobra Fang!"_

" _Oh yeah? Try me! You're no match against me and my reptile minions!"_

It was the sort of game that demanded creativity and pure imagination. Izuku didn't keep track of how long they played it for; time was the last thing on her mind as she let herself get lost in the excitement of the game, but regardless. She wishes that they could have played it longer.

She wishes that Katsuki would stay longer.

She doesn't want him to leave. Not yet.

"Izuku-chan?" Mitsuki calls out again. But Izuku can't bring herself to speak. Sadness has taken its hold on her, and all she can think about is how depressed she'll be once Katsuki leaves.

She doesn't want him to go.

Katsuki's the first kid her age who's played with her.

Katsuki's the first kid her age, who _believes_ in her.

Katsuki's the first person who's she's ever had so much fun with.

And now. That same person is going to leave.

Izuku can't help it anymore. She cries.

Mitsuki takes this the wrong way, and whirls around to face Katsuki, who's been standing behind the blonde-haired woman the whole time.

" _Kacchan."_ Mitsuki begins, venom dripping from her voice, and advances towards him. "What did you do?!"

Sweat beads down Katsuki's forehead as he walks backwards. "M-me? I-I—" Crap, what could he say?

Izuku suddenly then realizes how she's coming across, and wipes her tears. "W-wait! He didn't do anything wrong!" Izuku speaks up.

"Sweetie, there's no need to defend him." Mitsuki cracks her knuckles in a similar way Katsuki did earlier today. "I can already see in his beady little eyes that he's guilty."

Izuku shakes her head fervently and grabs Mitsuki's shirt before she can do anything.

"Wait, I'm serious! I'm not crying because of Katsuki-kun!"

Mitsuki raises a brow, and lowers her fists. Izuku takes in deep breaths as she tries to regain her composure.

"I mean... I am crying because of him, but not in the way you think. I'm crying because... he's leaving." She murmurs, then clears her throat to speak a bit louder.

"Katsuki's the coolest person I've ever met, and the first person who made me believe in myself in a way I never have before."

Izuku then looks at Katsuki, her eyes warm.

"Today was the most fun I've ever had in my life."

At her words, Katsuki's face turns into the color of a bad sunburn, and under that blond hair, it has the effect of making his head look like it's on fire.

"Y-yeah. I had fun too, I guess," He mumbles feebly, averting his gaze from anyone else in the room.

Mitsuki and Inko both exchange confused glances; both blink; then smile.

"Well, well, _well,"_ Mitsuki chuckles, nudges Inko with an elbow, and Katsuki knows he's about to dread whatever she's about to say, "I could be wrong, but I think we're witnessing the beginning of love here."

At that little comment, Katsuki's circuit explodes.

"What?!" He shouts, his face—and well, body— set almost quite literally ablaze— "What are you even talking about, Mom?!"

Inko and Mitsuki both giggle, but Izuku is silent. She's confused.

"What do you mean by that?" The young girl asks Mitsuki, dazed.

"Oh, you'll both understand when you're older." Mitsuki replies, then looks smugly at Katsuki.

"I hate you." He tells his mother flatly.

"Don't think I won't ground you for telling me that in public." The older woman chirps, and taps his nose gracefully.

Katsuki scoffs. Yeah, his mother is definitely still drunk.

"Anyway," Mitsuki yawns, "We'd better get going now."

"W-when will I get to see Katsuki-kun again?" Izuku asks, glancing at both Inko and Mitsuki. She doesn't want to come across as needy, but...

Mitsuki smiles.

"Can't say when exactly, but we'll arrange another playdate as soon we can." Mitsuki looks at both Inko and Katsuki for confirmation. "Does that sound alright with the both of you?"

Inko nods gleefully. Realizing that Katsuki hasn't said anything, Mitsuki smirks.

"Kacchan?" His mother asks.

Katsuki flinches, and Mitsuki finds it hilarious that his face is still red after all of this.

"Y-yeah. I guess another playdate would be... alright," He replies tartly.

Mituski's eyes glitter. "Well, we'd best be on our way then."

"Wait!" Izuku exclaims.

Without warning, Katsuki is put into a tight embrace, an act which nearly has him tumbling over.

"I'll miss you," Izuku mumbles into his ear.

Katsuki's paralyzed. He can't wrap his head around this girl's actions. At all.

* * *

Mitsuki is unusually silent as she drives Katsuki home. This causes him to get rightfully suspicious.

"Why are you so quiet, old hag?" He starts menacingly.

On cue, Mitsuki grins.

"Me? I could be asking _you_ that, Kacchan."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ As usual, I love your guys' comments. Means the world to me, reading your reactions/thoughts/opinions to certain parts in the story. :) 💖 Every one of your words count.


	14. The Second Grade

A week has passed since the day Izuku first met Katsuki Bakugō. Since then, the fantastic day they had is all she's been thinking about. Well... When she isn't thinking about school, and how in a couple days, she'll be starting her first day at the same school Katsuki goes to, that is.

Her family is moving again in a couple weeks, and due to this, they've already enrolled her in the one closest to their new neighborhood. Interestingly enough, this school happens to the same one Katsuki goes to, (according to Inko, at least), so one can only imagine how thrilled Izuku was when she heard the news. Not only is she going to a new school, free of the kids who picked on her in the past, but _Katsuki's_ going to be there. She'll get to see and play with him everyday. And to top it all off, their neighborhoods are practically next to one another's, so that means they'll be able to have more frequent playdates from here on out. It'd be even cooler if they were in the same class, although, Izuku knows that might be asking for too much.

Regardless; she's ecstatic.

Because of this, she doesn't badger her mother about seeing Katsuki again, as there isn't much of a point.

They'll be seeing each other again quite soon.

And as Izuku prepares herself for sleep, she wonders if Katsuki is equally thrilled about this situation as she is, and if he wants to see her again as much as she does.

She supposes she'll find out on the first day.

* * *

"What are _**you**_ doing here?"

This is hardly the reaction Izuku was hoping for.

"Katsuki, you know this girl?" A boy next to Katsuki asks, and scrutinizes Izuku from head to toe.

Despite the fact that Izuku's been receiving curious glances from nearly _all_ of her new peers as they wait in front of the classroom for the teacher to come, Izuku doesn't pay them any mind.

"Be quiet, Tsubasa, I'm not talking to you." Katsuki snaps, prompting the said boy in question to recoil.

"Your... mom didn't tell you I'd be joining your school?" Izuku replies in confusion.

"You're what?!" He shouts, pointing a finger at her.

Apparently not. Izuku gulps.

 _Is it me, or is he not all that happy to see me?_

"I've enrolled at your school," she says coolly. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Katsuki's eyes widen.

"I can't believe this," he mutters, and smacks his forehead, "My mom didn't tell me this on purpose, I bet. She probably wanted it to be a surprise, or something. Stupid old hag—"

An older woman's voice comes from behind all of them and cuts him off.

"Alright, children, I've arrived! You may come inside now!"

As they all enter the classroom, Izuku can only think about one thing.

Enrolling in the same school as Katsuki Bakugō better not have been a mistake.

* * *

By the time recess rolls around, Katsuki doesn't so much as blink at Izuku as he exits the classroom.

Bewilderment simmers within Izuku.

 _Is he avoiding me?_

She thought that after the day when they played, that he... well... at the very least, wouldn't ignore her like this.

On one hand, Izuku shouldn't feel so entitled for his attention. On the other, she thought that after everything that had transpired that day, that he viewed her as well. A friend. Not just another acquaintance. She thought that he'd at least greet her once class was over.

Against her better judgement, she decides to follow him to wherever he's headed.

* * *

As Katsuki walks over to the school playground with three of his friends, all he thinks about is one thing.

Izuku Midoriya being enrolled at his school is probably the worst thing that's happened to him.

Why? Well, for one. He does _not_ want to be seen walking around campus with a girl by his side. He has a reputation to maintain! Maybe _he_ doesn't think _all_ girls are lame, but his friends do. And he doesn't want anyone thinking he's gone soft because he's befriended a girl.

Two. Izuku hanging out with him and his friends would not end well. The games he and his friends are way too rough, rougher than what he's played with Izuku, and he knows that she wouldn't be able to handle it. Not with the way she is now, at least.

And three— Izuku does weird things to his stomach and to his brain. For whatever reason, he kept thinking about her for days on end after that day they played, and whenever he did, it'd cause him to feel a weird, fuzzy feeling in his insides. And when he told his mom about this, her laughter basically confirmed to him that all he's feeling is definitely _not_ a good thing.

So. Now that he's gotten all _those_ reasons out of the way, it's fair to say that he's _completely_ justified for not wanting to be anywhere near her while they're at school.

And well. Izuku should just have to deal with that fact.

"Katsuki, what's up?" His friend Taichi beckons. "You look really messed up, dude."

"I'm fine," he insists. His friends can't know what's got him so worked up. They continue walking for a good minute or so, and they finally reach their destination; the playground. Specifically, the tire swing.

"Where's Kairi?" Katsuki frets, referring to another friend of his from another class, "Don't tell me he's still home sick—"

"Katsuki-kun!" A shrill voice calls out from afar, behind him.

 _Please don't tell me that's who I think it is,_ he inwardly begs.

He doesn't turn around. He doesn't want to find out who it is, although— he already knows.

Touji, another friend of his, raises a brow. "Uh, Katsuki. I think that girl over there is calling you."

Katsuki laughs nervously. "G-Girl? Please, Touji, you're being ridiculous. There's no girl calling me."

"Oh yeah?" His third friend, Yuuki, then turns Katsuki around. "Then who's that?"

Katsuki bites his lip.

A familiar green-haired girl stands six meters before them, and is growing closer with every step she takes.

Katsuki gulps as he takes in her appearance. He saw how she looked before, but now's the first time today he soaks in her appearance. She's dressed more girly than the last time he saw her. He dare even say, she's rather cute today… if he weren't distracted by the fact that he really doesn't want her here. A white T shirt, pink skirt and pink shoes that sparkle on their sides make for an interesting combination. Her shoulder-length hair that was otherwise let down the last time he saw her, is now tied into a ponytail, and she's sporting a yellow butterfly headband as a nice detail. He supposes Inko dolled her up specifically because it's the first day of school, but while _Katsuki_ can appreciate her aesthetics, that doesn't mean that that his friends will.

 _Why did she have to dress so goddamn girly today?_ He wants to wail.

"Hi, Katsuki-kun!" Izuku beckons, having caught up to them. "What are you up to?"

Katsuki pauses as he considers pretending he doesn't know her.

"Who's she?" Taichi asks.

Izuku hesitates for a moment, then decides to offer her hand out to Taichi.

"H—hi, p-pleased to meet you," she stammers, then wills herself to speak more eloquently. "My name's Izuku Midoriya. Me and Katsuki are—"

"—We met each other last week," Katsuki cuts her off. He sure as hell isn't letting Izuku talk this one out. "My mom and her mom are colleagues."

Izuku nods excitedly, unaware that Katsuki deliberately chose the vaguest explanation as to what their relationship is.

"Oh." The three of his friends all say in unison.

"What are guys playing?" She asks, eyes glimmering with warmth, "Can I play too—"

Before she can finish her sentence, Katsuki's firmly grabbed her hand and has started taking her to the other side of the playground.

"We need to have a talk." Is he all he says.

* * *

Once they reach the part of the playground that's relatively obscured from the gaze of his friends, Katsuki decides that it's time to lay out some ground rules for Izuku.

"What'd you wanna talk about, Katsuki-kun?"

The obliviousness in her tone almost make him feels guilty for having to tell her this.

Almost.

"We... can't been seen together at school, Izuku." There's no nice way of putting it.

Izuku face falls. "Why's that?"

"I don't know _exactly_ how things were at your old school, but here... it's not normal for a boy and a girl to be openly friends. We'd be the laughingstock of the whole school."

Well, okay. That was a lie. They wouldn't be the laughingstock of the whole school, but Katsuki would be among his friends, which is good enough for him.

Izuku looks crestfallen. Dammit, why is she making this harder than it needs to be?

"Is that the only reason?" She asks, her voice pained.

Katsuki hesitates. It isn't, but it's the only reason she needs to know right now. She should understand, though. It's a completely valid reason for them not to hang out with one another.

"Yes." He replies.

Izuku doesn't say anything at first. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she's hurt.

"I see." He sees now that tears have started welling up in her eyes. She brushes them off, and slowly begins to walk away.

"But you know, Katsuki-kun... I wouldn't have minded getting laughed at… If it meant I could have been your friend."

* * *

For whatever reason, when Katsuki returns to the tire swing, everyone is looking at him with smug grins on their faces.

"What?" He asks.

"We didn't know you had a _**girlfriend**_ , Katsuki." Taichi smirks.

"She. Is _**not**_ my girlfriend."

All three of the boys exchange glances, laugh, and start to sing simultaneously.

" _ **Izuku and Katsuki sitting in a tree~ K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"**_

"Be quiet!" Katsuki yells. He's _this_ close to punching the living daylights out of them, even though he's outnumbered.

He's just not gonna accept being made fun of for something like this.

They continue laughing, though.

"Suuuure." Taichi remarks sarcastically. "Then what is she?"

"It's like I said. I met her a week ago. My mom had to do some work-related stuff with her mom at their house, so she dragged me along so that Izuku would have someone to entertain her. "

"You didn't mention that last part, Katsuki," Touji grins. "It was basically a playdate, wasn't it? Bet you had the time of your life playing house and dolls with her, didn't you? Makes sense, seeing how happy she was to see you!"

"As if!"

They all laugh again.

Okay. They asked for it.

He grabs all three of them by the collar of their shirts.

"You guys make fun of me one more time, and I'll break all of your guys' legs right here before I stand." He spits.

"Jeez, chill out, Katsuki," Taichi sneers and wriggles himself out of Katsuki's grip. "We're messing around. There's no need to get so worked up." Taichi smirks again. "Over a _girl_."

"Well, it's annoying," Katsuki retorts. "Find a better reason to make fun of someone."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Katsuki is written intentionally as a blundering idiot in this chapter for the sake of furthering the plot, and because it's funny. Gotta love his stupid way of thinking at times.

Also, the next chapter won't come out as soon as the previous ones. I've got some exams I need to focus on for the time being, so I can't say when it will. Even if it takes a while for the next chapter to come out, know that it won't be abandoned! I'm doing my best to see this fic to completion.

And, as usual, thank you all for the lovely comments/reviews. Reading your reactions/thoughts to certain parts in the story makes me giddy like a schoolgirl in love. Seriously. I wouldn't be anything without you guys. 💖🎉✨


	15. Outnumbered

_**A/N:**_ My exams have got pushed to a later date due to the Corona virus, hence why this chapter's arrived sooner than intended. -sigh- Stay safe everyone.

Also readers, if there are any typos in this or/and previous chapters, let me know so I can fix 'em.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me that Izuku joined my school?" Katsuki demands as he walks home with his mother from school.

Mitsuki smirks. "Oh, I didn't? It must have slipped my mind."

"Mooom!" Katsuki whines.

Mitsuki chuckles and pats Katsuki's head two times.

"Come on, Katsuki. All you've been obsessing over for the last week is Izuku-chan. If I told you she'd be joining your school, you probably wouldn't be able to sleep well for a couple days, and I couldn't have you be sleep deprived in time for school."

Everything his mother just said is a complete exaggeration. He crosses his arms. "I would have slept just fine, and I have _not_ been obsessing over her!"

"Really? Because those dozens of drawings of you and her in your sketchbook tell me a different story."

Katsuki's face turns into a dark shade of crimson.

"Who gave you the right to go through my sketchbook!?"

At his reaction, Mitsuki guffaws.

"Oh, please, Katsuki. You're making a big deal out of nothing. I'm your mother. I have a right to these things. So you've got a little crush, it's no big deal. But next time, if you don't want anyone to look through your sketchbook, you should probably hide it better."

"I do. _**Not.**_ Have a crush on anybody. "

"Sure, sure, whatever you say, _Kacchan._ "

Why is his mother so eager to get on his nerves?! "And stop calling me that! I'm not a baby anymore!"

"Why? You know it's a cute nickname." Mitsuki's smile turns feral. "I bet you wouldn't mind if Izuku-chan called you that."

Okay, now he knows for sure that his mom is a sadist. "Can you quit it already?!" He bawls.

His mother chuckles again and strokes Katsuki's head.

"Relax, buster. I'm only teasing."

Katsuki pouts, and although he tries, the blush that surfaced on his face as a result of his mother's tactless commentary refuses to go away.

"So, tell me," Mitsuki starts, "How was school today? Did you have a nice day?"

Katsuki doesn't reply.

"What's the matter?" Mituski jokes. "Did Izuku do something to upset you?"

"Shut up."

His cold, distant response is jarring to both him and Mitsuki, and Mitsuki stops in her tracks.

"Katsuki. Is everything alright?" She asks, her voice now anxious.

"Nothing's wrong, it's just…"

He looks up at his mother, eyes round as saucers.

"Mama, do you think it's weird for a boy and a girl to be... friends?

Mitsuki eyes glimmer. " _Just_ friends?"

Katsuki rolls his eyes. "Yes."

"Generally speaking... at that age, it's exactly not common, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. I wouldn't have introduced you to Izuku-chan if I thought it were strange. Why do you ask?"

He stares off into the distance. "No reason in particular."

* * *

"What's wrong, Izuku? You seem a bit down."

"I'm fine, I'm... just… really tired, is all." Izuku replies as she strolls on with her mother home.

She's not going to bring up Katsuki and how she's felt miserable the whole day for what he did to her.

She's just not.

* * *

Three days pass, and Katsuki and Izuku haven't spoken at all since their last encounter.

And so far, Katsuki isn't so sure he's happy with this predicament.

Izuku treats him as if he doesn't exist, and doesn't so much as look at him. And while he shouldn't be surprised, as this _was_ what he requested from her, for some reason, it really annoys him.

So, after deep contemplation, he decides he's gonna call off this arrangement. Sure, they might get laughed at, and judged. But to be fair, Katsuki shouldn't have cared about that in the first place.

He'll just beat up anybody who mocks them. An easy solution to an otherwise stupid problem.

Before he can do anything, though, Izuku practically runs out of the classroom when the bell rings for their first recess.

 _Great._ Now he's gonna have to search for her. Katsuki inwardly groans.

* * *

It's no use.

He can't find her.

He's searched everywhere. The jungle gym, the swings, the monkey bars, the basketball court.

Their playing area isn't so big that God knows where she could be.

He feels like a dumbass. Half of his recess is already over, and he could have spent it playing with his friends.

Now that he thinks about it, there's only one more place where she _could_ be; the sandbox, but his thoughts are interrupted when a cluster of voices call out to him.

"Hey, Katsuki!"

Katsuki whirls around to find two of his friends approaching him; Kairi and Yuuki.

"Oh, 'sup, guys." Katsuki says casually.

"Where have you been?" Yuuki begins. "All the boys are down by the basketball court playing basketball. Why aren't you there with us?"

Katsuki falters. "Uh… well, I've been looking for Taichi. I need to talk to him, but I can't find him anywhere."

"Dude, I don't know where you've been looking, but Taichi's at the basketball court." Kairi tells Katsuki, and tugs at his arm, "So let's hurry over there and play before recess is over!"

Katsuki groans and decides to roll with it. He'll find another opportunity to talk to Izuku today, it's not like this is their last recess.

"Alright, let's go," he says, and Yuuki runs ahead of them. Before Katsuki can run along with him, Kairi stops him.

"Hold on, Katsuki." He grins, "Before we go, I wanna show you something really cool." Kairi rummages through his left pocket and pulls out something Katsuki finds oddly familiar. "Pretty neat, eh?"

Katsuki blinks. "Is that the limited edition figure of All Might?!"

"You guessed right," Kairi chirps, and hands the figure in question to Katsuki. "I'll trade it to you for that deluxe Endeavor figure you brought to school the other day. Was always a bigger fan of him than All Might."

Katsuki can't believe his luck. He's wanted that figure since the first day he saw it come out a couple weeks ago on TV. But the blond's parents wouldn't let him have it. They claimed it was too expensive and that he had too many toys already. But now... he finally has the chance to own it for himself.

"Where did you get this figure?" He asks as he analyzes the figure from its head to toe.

He receives the first half of his answer upon noticing that the name, "Izuku", is written under All Might's shoe with what Katsuki presumes to be a Sharpie.

* * *

"Well, kid? You gonna give us your Hero cards, or what? We haven't got all day."

Izuku didn't expect that showing her Hero toys to a couple of boys from another class would result in them gathering around her in a circle and bullying her into handing them over to them.

She just…

Wanted to make some friends with the same interests as her.

And now, the same people she tried to befriend- they already managed to take her favorite action figure, and now they want all of her Hero trading cards.

This is so unfair.

"You guys already took my All Might figure. I'm not going to give you my Hero cards, too."

One of the boys then pushes her to the ground. She falls on her butt, and sand slinks into her skirt… and _underwear._

 _G-Gross…_ she thinks to herself in disgust.

"We're not giving you a choice, girlie," one of the boys spit, "Either you give us all of your Hero cards, or by the end of recess, your skirt's not gonna be the only thing covered in sand."

Izuku shuts her eyes tightly.

"Oi."

The green-haired girl's eyes bolt open. She _knows_ that voice.

"Ah, good to see you, Bakugō!" One of the boys chirps, and walks over to give the aforementioned boy in question a high five. "Say, why don't you help us with—"

"Just _what_ do you guys think you're doing!?"

All of the boys exchange confused glances between each other. One of them then pipes up, oblivious to Katsuki's rage.

"You won't believe it, Bakugō. This dumb girl asked if she could be our _friend_. Can you believe it? What type of lame-o asks that sort of question to people? We laughed, told her she's out of her mind, but then she thought she could impress us by showing us some of her toys that she probably stole from one of the boys from another class."

"I didn't steal anything! Those toys are rightfully mine!" Izuku insists. The same boy in question snorts.

"You expect us to believe that a prissy girl like you owns such cool toys? You're even dumber than you look."

He turns back to Katsuki. "Anyway, long story short. We're telling this sissy girl to fork over her Hero cards. They're better off in our hands, seeing as they're stolen anyway. Wanna help?"

"Do I wanna _help_?" Katsuki echoes in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with you guys!?"

"Oh, please, Katsuki." Another boy speaks. "Quit acting like you're better than us. Last year in the first grade, all you ever did was pick on everyone. You picked on the girls, too."

" _Loser_ , you don't even know the _meaning_ of being picked on," Katsuki drawls, staring at his nails. The cold, ferocious glare he then sends all four of the boys cause them all to flinch.

"You chose the wrong girl to harass. Do yourselves a favor and run along before one of you gets hurt."

One of them scoffs. "What, you're _defending_ this weakling? That's not like you."

"Y-yeah!" Another one chimes in. "And plus, you don't scare us. You're outnumbered four to one."

"Do I have to repeat myself?" He snarls. "Beat it!"

"Hate to break it to you, Katsuki," the third boy begins, his tone downright _villainous_ , "but _we're_ the ones in control here. Lay off, or we'll make you wish you had."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ In case anyone's interested, the basketball court is geared towards the kids' size. Seeing as they're tiny and all.

Also, looking back on previous chapters, I realize I referred to Izuku's All Might figure as unlimited when in reality it should have been limited. Ugh. Fixed it. Lemme know guys if the error pops up again.


	16. Kacchan

_**A/N:**_ As of March 15th 2020, (as of chapter 16; this chapter), I've decided to change Katsuki and Izuku's starting ages at the beginning of this fic from four, to eight, and to portray them as elementary school students in the second grade. The reason they were so initially written so young was a result of my attempt to stay canon compliant, as in canon, they receive their quirks around the age of four. For me, it was imperative to showcase Katsuki and Izuku's relationship _before_ they received their quirks, as once they do, their friendship begins to gradually decline, with Katsuki slowly turning into Izuku's bully, and all. However, after much consideration, I've realized that my attempt to stay true to canon by showcasing their relationship _before_ they receive their quirks resulted in having four-year olds have unrealistic dialogues and situations. So I've decided that it's best to diverge from canon a bit and change their age. Other than that, the fic is virtually unchanged from how it originally was. So- to recap. The beginning of this fic takes place pre-canon, Katsuki and Izuku are (so far) now eight-year olds, and the main difference between this fic and canon is that in this fic, it's normal for a child to receive their quirk around the age of nine. Which is why Katsuki is still quirkless, even at the age of eight. Other than that, I'm going to try my best to stay canon-compliant throughout this fic. (Readers; if you are still confused, read the new Author's note I've added to chapter 1. Or you know. Ask me in a comment.)

* * *

The three boys narrow their eyes and get into fighting stances, but the fourth boy tugs on all three of their arms.

"Guys, we probably shouldn't fight him." He whispers into their ears, "Don't forget, Bakugō's the same kid who beat up three kids at once pretty badly last year in the first grade."

"So?" The third boy grumbles quietly, "There were three of them, and there's four of us. Besides, we can't just stand there and do nothing like a couple of cowards."

"I'm not gonna let you hurt Kacchan."

Katsuki doesn't know what's more surprising; seeing Izuku get up from the ground with her fists raised, or hearing her call him his trashy nickname.

 _How. In God's name did she remember that nickname?! And why the hell is she calling me that nickname in public?!_

To his dismay, what Izuku said doesn't go unnoticed by the boys.

" _Kacchan?_ " One of them repeats, and turns to Katsuki. "Is that cutesy nickname _yours_?"

When Katsuki fails to give them an answer for ten seconds, they all burst into laughter.

"Oh God, this is hilarious!"

"Who would have guessed that the so-called toughest kid in the second-grade has a nickname like that! This is priceless!"

Rage boils within Katsuki, but before he can give these boys a piece of his mind-or in this case, _fist_ \- Izuku beats him to it.

He can hardly believe what he's seeing.

 _Did Izuku just punch one of them in the nose?!_

"Ow!" The boy on the receiving end of the injury yelps. Upon closer inspection, one can see that his nose is bleeding. "Hey, girl, that really hurts!"

Izuku blinks slowly, not completely conscious of what she's done, before it dawns on her.

"W-Well, it serves you right!" Izuku squeaks. "You shouldn't laugh at people like that, nor should you be bullying people into giving you their belongings!"

"Agh. That really hurts!" He exclaims as he grabs his nose with one hand to prevent it from bleeding further. The rest of the boys exchange worried looks between each other.

"Screw the fight," the boy bleeding says at last, "We're telling on you!" He flees, and after a moment's hesitation, the rest of the boys follow suit.

"Hey, get back here!" Katsuki shouts, and is about to run after them, before Izuku shakes her head.

"Let them go," Izuku tells Katsuki. "If we get into a real fight with them, we won't stand a chance. They got us outnumbered."

"So? I beat up three kids once in the first-grade. If you fought alongside me, we could have taken them easily."

Izuku faces the direction in which the boys left. "Well, they're gone now. There's nothing left we can really do. Besides, it's best if we don't get into a real fight. And if we get the teachers involved, then we can explain to them what really happened."

Katsuki sighs. "Sure, whatever you say."

He analyzes her.

"What did they do to you exactly?"

Izuku rubs the back of her neck.

"Well, it's like that boy said." She begins despondently, "I asked them if I could be their friend, they laughed. And I thought if I showed them some of my toys, they'd accept me." She laughs bitterly. "I couldn't be more wrong. After that, one of them flat-out grabbed my All Might figure out of my hands before I could even blink, and then ran off."

Katsuki scoffs. "Yeah, that was Kairi. Jerk."

"Then they got around me in a circle, told me I stole the toys, and demanded that I hand over the rest of them; my Hero cards. When I told them no, they pushed me to the ground, and well. That's when you came."

Katsuki bristles at the thought of them laying a finger on her. "You're not hurt, are you?"

She shakes her head. "I got some sand in my skirt and underwear, but aside from that, I'm fine."

"Tch. I can't believe them." He then rummages through his pocket and pulls out her All Might figure.

"Here's your doll— er, I mean action figure, back."

"How did you..?!"

"Kairi told me what he did. Needless to say, he told the wrong person that."

"You didn't hurt him, did you?"

"Nah. He knows what I can do to him when I want to, so he gave me your toy back without much of a fight. " He pauses. "But I wanted to." He says finally.

"I see." She holds the figure tightly to her chest and looks at the ground, pink thinly dusting her cheeks.

"Why… did you help me?" She asks. "I thought that you didn't want to even be seen around me."

"Well. About that. He starts. "I actually spent almost the whole recess looking for you to … apologize. I thought about what I did, and realized it was a dumb decision. People will judge if we're seen together, yeah… but that shouldn't have mattered in the first place. I can always just beat them up if anyone makes fun of us."

"T-there's no need for violence," Izuku tries, raising both her hands. "We should try to avoid it as much as possible."

Katsuki looks at her as if that's the dumbest thing she's ever said.

"Heroes talk with their fists, not with their mouths." He says flatly, then stops. "Besides, if I remember right, _you're_ the one who put a fist through that guy's nose."

Izuku blushes.

"T-That's… I mean…" She inhales. "I mean. I couldn't just stand there and let them laugh at you."

Katsuki, in turn, feels _his_ cheeks heat up. He coughs and decides to ignore what she just said.

"That being said. I gotta say, Izuku. What did you back there was pretty cool. I don't think I've ever seen a girl hit a boy in the face before."

Izuku sighs. She's not so sure how much praise she should be receiving for having inflicted pain on another human being, but… Having Katsuki call her cool is nice, she supposes.

"I just hope I won't get in too much trouble. I _did_ hurt him at the end of the day."

Katsuki waves his hand dismissively. "Don't worry. We'll just explain to the teachers what happened and they should be on our side." He pauses. "They might call our parents, though."

Izuku's eyes widen as the realization sinks in. "Oh no!" She exclaims. "My mom will be so disappointed in me… and my dad… he'll _kill me!"_

Katsuki shrugs as if it's no big deal. "I mean, that's just the sort of stuff you're gonna have to face when you get in a fight at school. There's almost always gonna be a snitch."

Izuku isn't comforted though. "That's why we should avoid violence as a whole," she whispers.

Katsuki scoffs. "Izuku, please. Don't give me that crap. Those kids started picking on us first. That kid deserved a good punch to set him in place. And _you_ , a girl of all things, being the one to give him that punch… that was pretty awesome to see."

"But getting in trouble _won't_ be awesome," she wails. "Teachers have never called my parents before… Oh gosh… what should we do? Should we lie? I don't want to _lie_ about what happened…"

"We'll tell them what happened, and whatever happens after that, happens. It's not gonna be the end of the world."

Izuku sighs. "I guess you're right… but I don't know how my parents are gonna take this. My dad yells at me enough already just for the fact that I like boy things, so I don't know how he's going to take this." Will she get spanked, grounded? _Thrown out on the streets?_ The possibilities are endless.

 _She's panicking way too much._ He thinks to himself, and he can't help but feel worried for her.

An idea comes to mind. Something he'd normally never do for anyone. But, for some reason he doesn't really get, he's compelled to do it for _her_.

Even though he knows he's gonna regret doing this.

"You know, Izuku… if you want, I can say that I was the one who punched that kid."

Izuku is shocked.

"Y-you'd do that? For me?"

For some goddamn reason, yes. He would.

"My parents are kind of used to getting phone calls from my teachers. Judging from how you're acting, I think they'll take what happened today better than _your_ parents."

"I… I can't let you do that."

"Please, Izuku. Trust me when I say It's not a big deal. I get grounded all the time for getting in fights. I'll handle it just fine."

"I don't want you to get in trouble for something _I_ did, though."

"Look, I was gonna punch that kid right before you beat me to it. So just accept what I'm trying to do here, alright nerd?"

Izuku bites her lip and looks as though she's about to cry.

Katsuki grunts. "Anyway, recess is almost over, so let's—"

Katsuki is so caught off-guard by the sudden hug she then gives him that he doesn't even notice that she proceeds to call him by his nickname again.

"Thank you… _Kacchan_." She whispers.


	17. Feelings are Weird

_**A/N:**_ According to my research, Japan doesn't do expulsion when it comes to their students. It's forbidden, and suspension isn't even an option in Japan. In most schools, they kind of just call the parents of the students and leave the punishment up to the parents. Due to these reasons, bullying in general is viewed as a problem in Japan due to the lack of consequences for a student's bad behavior. Not to mention, as of April 1st 2020, they're going to ban corporal punishment of children in Japan as a whole. So… yeah. Don't know how much _that's_ gonna remedy the bullying problem, seeing as some kids in real life really _should_ get spanked in order to set them in line, in my opinion.

* * *

Katsuki and Mitsuki have been walking from school to their home for five minutes now. Mitsuki hasn't uttered a word since they left the building.

Katsuki is absolutely lost on what to make of this.

"So… are you mad at me, Mom?" He asks finally.

Mitsuki's breath hitches in her throat.

"It's good that you were defending Izuku-chan, Katsuki. But I'm not okay with the fact that you had to resort to violence."

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Let one of those boys land the first punch?"

"I _don't. Know._ " She replies. "All I know is that kid's nose is pretty messed up, and that no matter how many times I punish you, you still get yourself into these types of situations."

Katsuki figures this is his cue to feel guilty, but truthfully, all he feels is pure confusion over the events that transpired today.

Well. That's a lie.

He's been feeling confused ever since that damn day he met Izuku.

"No play dates or TV for two months." Mitsuki says resolutely, interrupting his thoughts momentarily.

Katsuki opens his mouth to give a counter-argument as to why that punishment is just flat-out _cruel,_ but after a moment of pondering, decides against it.

His mind is occupied with other thoughts that he just can't be bothered to put up a fight right now.

" _Thank you, Kacchan."_ Izuku's words replay in his brain.

That idiot. What gives her the right to call him his crummy nickname and to just hug him out of nowhere like that, anyway?

He shakes his head and then chuckles inwardly.

Who is he kidding…

He has no right calling her an idiot.

 _He's_ the one who offered to lie for her in order to protect her. And now _he's_ the one who's grounded.

Just…

.

.

Why did he do that?

* * *

"Oh, Izuku. I'm so sorry you had such a rough day at school."

Izuku doesn't say a word as they walk in the direction of their home. Guilt has been prying at her ever since they left the school.

Did she and Katsuki really make the right decision by lying to the teachers about who delivered the punch? The boys were quick to tell the teachers that Izuku was the one guilty, but when Katsuki stepped in and said _he_ was, the adults believed him almost instantly without so much as batting a lash.

She's worried about what Katsuki will face from his parents.

But most of all. She's worried that he will end up resenting her for this.

* * *

As Izuku waits in front of the classroom for the teacher to come the following day, she notices Katsuki walking towards her.

"Ka—Kacchan!" She calls out and darts toward him.

She's met with an icy glare. She stops in her tracks, and feels her heart stop for a moment; her earlier fears of him hating her resurfacing.

"Are you okay?" She asks uneasily. "How did your parents take what happened yesterday?"

"Don't talk to me right now," he replies, and walks on past her.

* * *

Izuku has trouble focusing on anything for the duration of class.

All she thinks about is the cold way Katsuki brushed her off.

 _I knew it. I knew that he'd hate me after all this._ She thinks to herself repeatedly, her chest starting to hurt.

By the time the bell rings to signify the start of recess, Katsuki exits the room without sparing Izuku a glance.

She smiles ironically.

 _So… it's back to that, now is it?_

* * *

"Pass me the ball, Taichi. I need to practice scoring some hoops."

Taichi complies but sends him a concerned look beforehand.

"You doing okay, Katsuki? You've been frowning ever since recess started."

"I'm fine," he answers tersely and throws the ball in the basketball hoop.

"H-hey, Kacchan." A annoyingly familiar voice calls out softly behind him.

He whirls around to find Izuku standing before him, her gaze averted from his.

He sighs, and glances at Taichi, who has a smirk plastered on his face.

"Get lost." Katsuki tells him swiftly.

Taichi under normal circumstances would have gotten mad at the choice of words Katsuki used, but he isn't. He's amused.

"You know, if you wanted some privacy with your _girlfriend_ , you could have just asked me nicely." He chimes, and passes Katsuki the basketball before walking away.

Katsuki's definitely going to teach Taichi a good lesson or two in wrestling for having made that comment.

Once Taichi's out of sight, Katsuki turns back to Izuku.

"What do you want, nerd?" He asks, his tone exasperated.

Izuku doesn't say anything at first. When she tries to finally speak, she finds she's choking on her own words.

"I'm sorry, Kacchan…" Tears burst forth like water from a dam, "It was all my fault… I should have taken the blame. I shouldn't have let you get in trouble. I'll even go and tell the teachers what really happened, if you want… just… please, _please_. Don't hate me, Kacchan."

Her eyes are on locked on the ground, so she has no idea what Katsuki's feeling as he starts to advance toward her.

"Izuku." He says once he's close to her, voice soft.

Then;

" _ **QUIT CRYING SO MUCH YOU DAMN NERD!"**_ He hollers at the top of his lungs.

Izuku nearly faints from the shock, and her tears desist. She stares at him, mouth wide open.

"Tch," He clicks his tongue, "I don't hate you, you moron. And I'm not even mad at you. " He grumbles, and turns away. "I'm mad at _myself._ Ever since I met you, I've been acting and feeling like the lamest person on the planet."

"Katsuki, you know that isn't true—"

"Be quiet, he snaps. "I _have_. I keep doing these… dumb things, _because_ of you and _for_ you, and it's so damn annoying."

"I'm… sorry," she tries, before Katsuki glares at her.

"Don't apologize. I did what I did yesterday because I wanted to. So don't even _think_ about telling the teachers what really happened."

"I… just don't understand… if I'm so annoying, then… why are you doing this for me?"

"You're not annoying. You make me do and feel things that I normally don't." He says warily. "And _that's_ what's damn annoying."

For some reason, Izuku sees a deeper implication to Katsuki's words.

"Kacchan… what do you think of me?" She asks before she can stop herself.

Does he have to say it? Hell, even _he_ doesn't know.

"I'm not really sure." He replies, "All I know for sure is that, I would have never considered being friends with a girl before I met you."

"Does… does that mean you view me as a friend, Kacchan?" Izuku wants to hear him say it.

He turns away.

"I wouldn't have gotten myself grounded for you if I didn't."

What's weirder is that Katsuki isn't so sure he considers her a friend. He would have never helped anyone else in the way he did for her.

She's something… different to him.

But she doesn't have to know that.

At his words, Izuku can't help but smile.

"Kacchan…" she says warmly.

"So, are you two lovebirds done talking, or what?" Taichi's sudden appearance has Izuku squeaking in alarm and Katsuki growling in anger.

"You're just _begging_ for someone to beat you up, aren't you?" Katsuki tells him threateningly. Taichi chuckles.

"Take a joke, will ya?" Taichi answers smoothly, "And since you think you're such tough stuff, let's see if you can even beat me in a game of basketball."

Katsuki grins devilishly. "You're on."

Izuku fumbles with her fingers, unsure if her presence is wanted anymore.

Katsuki's words that follow suit confirm that it is. "You wanna play with us?"

Izuku feels like her heart might burst out of her chest. "Y-yes!"

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Despite Katsuki resenting his own nickname… as you all can see, he hasn't told Izuku to stop calling him it. Make of that what you will, readers.


	18. Love Cuts just like a Knife

Katsuki sticks to Izuku like glue for the next five months.

It's only until days leading up to Valentine's Day that Katsuki realizes the reason for this.

He has a crush on her.

It's something he realizes he's had ever since the first time they played Heroes and Villains together, all the way back in September. Perhaps the crush started even before then, when she told him off to his face and beat him in that chokehold match. Maybe it started when she told him how he inspired her to become a better version of herself shortly afterwards.

But. Whatever the reason.

It's turned him soft.

For instance. Before he met Izuku, the games he played with his friends were way, _way_ tougher than they are now. But ever since Izuku started actively hanging out with him and his friends, he's always refused to play any game in which she could get seriously hurt. Games like wrestling were vetoed from his part, and even when they played games that included little to no violence, like a sport or playing pretend, Katsuki made it clear to his friends that if anyone of that were too rough on Izuku, he'd teach them a good lesson in pain.

Not to mention, whenever his mom asked him who he'd like to have a playdate with, Izuku was always his first option.

He wasn't at all aware that this was due to the fact that he has feelings for her. Heck, even the constant teasing of his friends and mother actually didn't help in coming to terms with his feelings.

It's only when the teacher gives some crummy lecture on love in the days leading up to Valentine's Day that Katsuki has an epiphany.

All the things the teacher talks about when a person has a crush... The butterflies in one's stomach. The feelings of warmth whenever that person's around. The incessant longing to be around that person.

The need to protect that person.

Katsuki feels like screaming by the time the lecture is over.

What's worse is that he's subconsciously _known_ he's had a crush for a while now. But now, he can't deny it to himself anymore.

And because of it, he's turned into something he previously wasn't.

A softie. Another thing his friends have been pointing out to him for _months_ now, but something he just could never pick up on.

Katsuki can't even bring himself to look at Izuku by the time class is finished.

He's been a terrible influence on Izuku these last couple of months. He was _supposed_ to be helping her reach her potential as a future Hero. He was _supposed_ to _encourage_ rowdy behavior in her, not avoid it like the plague.

How are they going to become future Heroes when he can't even bring himself to lay a finger on her?

He has no idea what to do next.

* * *

As Izuku walks home from school with her mother, she finds herself replaying the words of what their teacher told them that day about crushes, and love.

Her teacher's words made Izuku feel strange.

What their teacher described is exactly how she feels about Katsuki, and only Katsuki.

But what is she to do now with this information?

She's positive Katsuki doesn't feel the same way. The two of them are constantly teased by other people his friends for being a couple, a fact that Katsuki constantly denies. If he felt the same way, he wouldn't do that… right?

She decides to ask her mother what she should do.

"Mama, I have a question."

"Yes, Izuku?"

"Today at school, our teacher talked about what crushes are."

"Oh, is that so?"

Izuku nods. "I… have one on Kacchan, I think."

After having made that statement, Inko's lips curl into a wide grin. She looks like she's just won the lottery.

"Really?!" Inko squees. "Izuku! I'm so happy for you! I knew it all along!"

Pink grazes Izuku's cheeks and she coughs.

"Anyway… I wanted to ask you… well. What am I supposed to do now?"

Inko blinks. "Well, have you thought about telling Katsuki how you feel?"

"I—I don't know if that's such a smart idea. I don't think Kacchan feels the same way, and I really don't want to ruin our friendship."

"Well, I have an idea. Since Valentine's Day is around the corner, why don't you give him something special?"

* * *

Valentine's Day rolls around. And by the time recess starts, in Katsuki's eyes, Izuku has decided to do something incredibly stupid.

"I—I have something to give you, Kacchan." She says, rummaging through her pocket.

She pulls out what seems to be fancy chocolate, wrapped in red velvet.

"I made this with my mom the other day." She says softly, and she looks at him with this _look_ that makes Katsuki want to bash his head on something for how mushy it is.

He stares down at her present, her present that she handcrafted for him and him only. He knows what it is; Honmei-choco.

And he knows what this now means.

He just sure as hell isn't going to roll with it.

"No thanks." He replies firmly.

"Huh?"

"I don't want it. Give it to someone else."

"B—but Kacchan—"

"Izuku. I don't understand why you would give me something like this."

Katsuki feels a sinking feeling in his stomach when he sees just how red Izuku's face turns at his comment.

"We aren't together that way." He says steadily, and looks at the sky. "You'd be better off giving that chocolate to someone else."

Izuku holds her breath.

She's not going down so easily.

"Kacchan… you're the most special person to me in my life right now. You might not feel the same way… and you don't have to… but at the very least, please accept this present. I want you to be the one to eat this chocolate. No one else."

Katsuki's well-aware that's as good as a confession as he's gonna get from her.

But he _doesn't_. _Need_ it.

"You chose the wrong person to make that chocolate for," he tells her sharply and walks away.


	19. Delusions of Grandeur

_**A/N:**_ Annnnd now comes the moment where I start incorporating a few scenes from canon. Note that I'll be using the dialogue that comes from the English dub as a reference, I feel the dialogue is superior in English.

Also, a thing I've changed from canon is that, in this fic, out of all of his friends, only Izuku calls Katsuki by Kacchan. I've done this so that the nickname itself holds more meaning.

Also, the amount of feedback I got on last chapter is astounding! Thank you guys! ;-; You are all amazing! Your support fuels this story! 💖

* * *

It's gradual.

And subtle.

But with each passing week, Katsuki grows meaner.

"Look, you can read the last part of Izuku's name as Deku."

He turns to Izuku with a smirk on his face.

"Deku. That must be what you call a helpless loser who's completely useless."

All of his friends chuckle in unison and they turn to Izuku with smug grins on their faces, anticipating her reaction. Izuku frowns as her brow furrows.

"Why are you being so mean, Kacchan?"

Her question hits a nerve, and guilt momentarily passes through Katsuki, but he quickly shoves it away.

Does she really need to ask that question? He's doing it for her own good. He doesn't like being mean to her, but Izuku currently lacks no spine. If she really wants to be a Hero one day, she needs to learn how to defend herself.

If she wants him to stop being mean, then she should just stand up to him. Show him who's boss.

But since he's started regularly teasing her, she hasn't taken the damn hint. Something that's been sourly disappointing Katsuki these past couple of weeks.

He's not going to back down, though. He's already failed her as a role model enough— the first five months they hung together were a complete disaster. It turned the both of them into total wusses and by the end of it, instead of becoming good rival material, Izuku was practically ready to become his future bride instead.

Which completely defeated the point of why Katsuki even decided to hang out with Izuku in the first place.

He's aware that this was all _his_ fault. _He's_ the one who was overly considerate with her all those months.

But he's going to remedy that now, whether she likes it or not. He told her all those months ago that he'd be a positive influence on her, and he intends to keep that promise. Even if she doesn't like the way he's going about it.

Besides; the worst he dishes out to her are insults. If he wanted to, he could result to physical violence as well as rougher games to set her in place. But he doesn't, so she should be grateful for that, at least.

And as each day passes, he finds it easier to distance himself from the crush he once had.

* * *

Katsuki's quirk manifests for the first time during class.

Everybody gathers around him in a circle, in awe of the small fiery blasts coming from his palms.

"Awesome!" One of the boys cry out.

"You're so lucky!" Izuku blurts.

"Yeah!" Another boy chimes in.

"Impressive. I bet you that's going to grow into an amazing quirk." The teacher's male assistant says with a smile.

"Definitely," Their teacher adds, "A flashy quirk for a future Hero! It's perfect."

The overwhelming amount of praise Katsuki's been receiving has the young boy beaming.

.

.

.

Yeah.

.

.

.

 _You're right._

 _._

 _I_ am _amazing._

 _._

 _In fact._

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **I bet there's no one as great as I am!**_

* * *

Katsuki soon finds that being mean to Izuku is second nature.

But for whatever reason, she still follows him around like a lost puppy, never once thinking to confront him for the way he treats her.

"Wow, you're so lucky!" Izuku's eyes sparkle as she walks behind Katsuki. "Your quirk is _amazing_ , Kacchan! When I get mine, I hope it's just as cool!"

Katsuki almost laughs at her comment.

"Whatever, Deku," he tells her dismissively, "No matter _what_ power you end up with, you'll never be able to beat _me_."

 _Stand up for yourself, you damn nerd._

Although; he has to admit; the idea that Izuku really thinks that they could one day be on the same level is starting to sound kind of hilarious.

His quirk is the best their school has seen in a long time. Coupled with the fact that it belongs to _him_ of all people, Katsuki can now say without a doubt that becoming the next Number 1 Hero will be no problem.

And if anyone tries to get in his way, he'll just show them exactly what he's capable of.

* * *

Something inside Katsuki snaps the day he finds out Izuku's quirkless.

The condescending comments from their peers don't help at all.

"Hey, did you hear? Deku doesn't have a quirk! Like, none!"

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. It's called being quirkless."

"That's dumb."

"She's so lame!"

"Don't worry about it, Izuku." The teacher says reassuringly. "Being quirkless isn't such a big deal."

Katsuki wants to hit the teacher. How is it not a big deal?

Izuku was supposed to become a Hero alongside him. They were supposed to become Heroes _together._

But now… Izuku's exactly what she claimed she was, on that very first playdate they had, all those months ago.

A _nothing._

And for some reason even he can't comprehend, he _grins_. He doesn't know why. He isn't happy. But the situation is almost funny, in its own, twisted way.

 _You're a total failure, Deku._

* * *

Izuku's stunned when Katsuki approaches her at recess a couple days later.

"What's this?" He demands. Izuku flinches as Katsuki holds up her sketchbook.

She's flabbergasted. "Where did you get that—"

"You're still fantasizing about becoming a Hero, aren't you, Deku?"

She doesn't want to answer that. "I…"

"Deku. You're quirkless."

"I—I know. But there's still a chance—"

"Deku. Stop it. You're only setting yourself up for disappointment if you keep this up." His voice then softens. "Don't do that to yourself."

Izuku bites her lip. "Why do you care?" She asks quietly, voice barely a whisper. And why _would_ he? After the way he's been treating her these past weeks.

He hands her the sketchbook. "There's just nothing more annoying than watching a kid have delusions of grandeur." He answers.

Izuku's silent as Katsuki walks off.

She wonders why he only commented on the drawings she has of Heroes, and not on the drawings she has of him and herself.

* * *

"Forward march and here we go! Members of the agency Bakugō!"

Despite Katsuki's upbeat marching song bringing a smile to the rest of Katsuki's friends who are following him, Izuku can't exactly bring _herself_ to smile in turn.

She's busy trying to pinpoint the exact moment when her life started to stink again.

It didn't go downhill when her father decided to take a work post abroad. In fact, that event affected her the least, considering how she was never a big fan of her father in the first place.

It didn't even start to go downhill when she found out she didn't have a quirk.

It all started the day after Valentine's Day, all those weeks ago.

She wasn't even bothered so much by Katsuki rejecting her on Valentine's Day. It was more due to the fact that soon afterwards, Katsuki… changed.

For worse.

And at this point, Izuku doesn't know why she sticks around Katsuki anymore.

She knows that he's changed. That it'd better for her if she just left him alone.

And yet… She _can't_.

She can't let go of him.

Despite his constant teasing… She still remembers the boy he used to be.

Then, out of nowhere.

He falls.

* * *

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Katsuki stares at Izuku, whose arm is outstretched toward him.

"I was worried you might have hit your head or something."

.

.

Stop it.

.

.

.

.

Stop looking at me as if I'm some kind of weakling. _**Deku.**_

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ *Chapter was updated: March 22/2020


	20. Memories of who you Used to Be

**_A/N:_** Feel free to share with me your ideas on how you want the story to progress. While there's no guarantee I will incorporate the idea(s), having you guys share your thoughts with me has led me to think of different/new ideas for this story that I ended up utilizing at certain moments in the story anyway. So don't feel afraid to share your wishes for how you want the story to progress! It definitely helps my writing muse.

Also, I've gotten PMs that some of you want a love triangle between Todoroki/Deku/Kacchan. If I'm going to be honest—the story is supposed to be already reaching its end. It was never meant to be a grand fic of epic proportions, it was just meant to dabble a bit into Izuku's and Katsuki's childhood, only from the lense of fem!deku. Likewise, Shouto was never meant to make an appearance in this fic. That being said, after you guys brought him up, it got me thinking, and I'm starting to really dig the idea of Todoroki coming into the picture to stir things up, if only for a bit. That being said—no promises. I still gotta piece together in my mind how that whole encounter/plotline would play out, and if I find that I don't know how I'll work it into the story, I'll discard the whole idea altogether. In any case, feel free to keep sending me ideas! And maybe something will stick. :P

Anyway—Hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Izuku is ten years old the day Katsuki decides to beat her up for the first time.

"Izuku! What on earth happened to you?" Inko exclaims as she rushes to her daughter's side.

"I was playing basketball with the boys and they hit me really hard with the ball accidentally a couple times... It's no big deal."

"Izuku. Your arms are bruised and you have a black eye. Those sort of injuries don't just come _accidentally._ "

"Well, I guess _to me,_ they just do," Izuku snaps, and places her backpack near the doorway. She exhales. The memories from today start to replay in her mind.

" _Why are you being so mean?" Izuku asks. You're making him cry, Kacchan! If you keep on hurting him, uh… I'll, uh… I'll stop you myself!"_

 _Katsuki stares at Izuku before chuckling._

" _You wanna pretend to be a Hero? You don't stand a chance without a quirk. Deku."_

Izuku shuts her eyes and turns away from the gaze of her mother.

He's been making her life a living hell since the second grade, with his constant insults and rallying the whole grade against her. He even got all of them to start calling her Deku at some point, too.

But today, he crossed all boundaries.

"Just… drop it, Mom, okay? I told you what happened and that's all there is to it."

* * *

"Inko-san told me at work today that Izuku-chan got hurt really badly playing basketball yesterday." Mitsuki brings up casually during dinner.

Katsuki nearly breaks his chopsticks upon hearing the news.

Nearly.

 _So. Deku didn't snitch on me._ He smirks.

 _She's smart. Because if she did, I would have_ _ **killed**_ her.

"Katsuki, why are you smiling? This isn't a laughing matter!"

"Sorry, I remembered something funny that happened at school, that's why." He replies as he props a piece of chicken into his mouth. "Anyway, I haven't hung out with Dek— er, _Izuku_ , since the second grade, Mom, so I don't really get why you feel the need to tell me this. So she got a little hurt playing basketball. I don't see how that relates to me."

Mitsuki scoffs.

"I thought it was worth letting you know. She _was_ your closest friend back in the second grade, after all."

"Well, that was then. Now we hardly even speak to each other." Well, that's a bit a of lie. They _do_ still talk, but it's only when Katsuki decides to pick on her. But Mitsuki doesn't need to know that information.

Mitsuki frowns. "What drove you two apart? You two were inseparable throughout most of the second grade."

Oh, gee, Mom. He doesn't know. Maybe Izuku being extra baggage is what drove them apart. Maybe it's the fact that instead of helping reach his full potential, all Izuku's ever done is drag him down.

Maybe it's the fact that despite her being completely useless, she still thinks she's better than him.

Scratch that, she's not completely useless. God, beating her up yesterday after a long time of wanting to do so was just so. _Exhilarating._ Having her writhe beneath him, watching the color fade from his eyes as she lost consciousness.

It was like a dream out of heaven.

While she'll never be useful in the way Izuku wants to be, she'll at least be useful as a good punching bag from here on out.

* * *

A week passes, and Izuku decides to do something incredibly bold by her standards.

Katsuki is off minding his own business, practicing basketball by himself, when Izuku decides to pop up uninvited and nab the ball from him.

Katsuki's eyes narrow. "Give me the ball, nerd." He says threateningly.

"I want you to stop harassing me, Kacchan." She says without missing a beat.

Katsuki's caught off-guard by how vehement her tone is. His shock doesn't last for long, though. He laughs.

"Acting a bit high and mighty, now are we, Deku? Especially considering the beating you took last week."

It's funny.

This is the sort of reaction he wanted from her from the beginning. The exact reason why he started teasing her, all the way back in the second grade.

But now, all it's doing is pissing him off.

"I've had it with you calling me Deku. I've had it with you _teasing_ me all the time. So let's make a deal. Let's fight. Just you, and me. If I win, I want you to stop being such a cold-hearted bully. And if you win, well. The reward is up to you."

"What did you just call me?" He snarls. "I'm not a cold-hearted bully, you damn loser. People like you think I am because you've never won a real fight."

Out of _all_ the things she decides to do next— she _smirks_. A particularly smug one, at that.

"I remember beating you at that chokehold match, the first day we met. And I remember you cried like a baby afterwards."

If murder weren't illegal, he would have slaughtered her right then and there.

He pushes her to the ground.

"You want a fight, Deku? You got one."

* * *

Izuku doesn't know _what_ exactly prompted her to get in a fight with Katsuki that day.

She should have just told on him for all the times he's treated her like garbage.

But she knows that if she did, Katsuki wouldn't stop his bullying. He'd only get back at her when the next opportunity presented itself.

So, she figured that if she got into a fight with him, one on one, she could give him a taste of his own medicine, while putting an end to his tyranny.

But as she lays on the ground, staring at the sky, nose bleeding and body bruised, all she thinks about is how this might not have been such a great idea after all.

* * *

"How was school today, Katsuki?" Mitsuki asks.

Katsuki grunts as he takes off his shoes.

"Fine," he mumbles.

"That's all you ever say, Katsuki," his mother groans, "Come on. Give me a little more than that."

Well, if he's going to be completely honest, aside from the boring lectures he had to sit through at school, today was better than fine. He beat the snot out of worthless Izuku and then got a pretty decent reward out of it.

" _I want you to give me your limited edition All Might figure."_ He told her without the slightest hint of remorse when the fight was over.

The whole idea of Izuku taking him on in a fight was just downright hilarious from the get-go, and one he knew would end in failure. But he rolled with it, because he never backs down from these sort of challenges out of principle.

Not to mention because she pissed him the hell _off_.

And now look at what she did. She only got herself hurt and now she has to give him her limited edition All Might figure.

A toy he's fully aware means the world to her.

But it's her own fault. If she wanted to keep it, she shouldn't have played with fire. Or at least, in this case, with explosions.

"Katsuki, I'm talking to you!" His mother barks and grabs him by the ear.

"Agh!" He swats her hand away. "Dammit you old hag, nothing that great happened at school today! So leave me alone!"

* * *

Izuku cries as she wills herself to fall asleep that night.

 _Katsuki… why and when did you become so cruel?_

She misses the days when they were still friends. When they could play games together for hours on end.

The days when Katsuki didn't bully her any chance he got.

But the more time passes, the more those days seem out of reach.

She turns on the light, walks on over to her drawer and pulls out her old sketchbook from the second grade.

Aside from the drawings she has of All Might and sketches of her future Hero costume, there are drawings she has of her and Katsuki dressed as Heroes.

She rips those drawings out of her sketchbook, walks over to her trash can, and throws them away.


	21. Hope

_**A/N:**_ I've decided to make this the final chapter of the story. There were a couple more ideas I had with this story, (and I do like a lot of your guys' ideas as well), but after much thought, I've decided that it's best to finish off things with this chapter, mark this story as complete, and add more to it only if I feel inspired to write it out. So- what that means is, even though this story is technically now complete, there is still a chance I'll come back to it one of these days and add more to it. I might even detail a bit of their escapades during U.A. For now, though; consider it a completed work.

* * *

As Izuku begins to walk home from school the next day, a hand is suddenly placed on her right shoulder.

"Just where do you think _you're_ going, nerd?"

She gulps. She doesn't have to turn around to know who it is.

Or rather. She's just too _scared_ to turn around.

"H—hey, Kacchan—"

Katsuki leans over to her ear. "We had a deal, in case you forgot."

Izuku shivers. Katsuki's _way_ too close to her, it's unsettling.

"I—I know. Just… give me a second. I'll give you the figure." _Just don't hurt me, please._

Tentatively, she rummages through her pocket, pulls out her treasured limited edition All Might figure and hands it to him with her right hand over her left shoulder.

"H—here you go, Kacchan."

Katsuki takes it with what she presumes to be his left hand, and releases his hold on her shoulder.

"Turn around, Deku. _Look at me."_

Izuku complies, she's not feeling particularly confident right now as to argue with him.

Then.

Clutching the figure with both of his hands, he uses his quirk to incinerate her toy right before her eyes.

Izuku's jaw falls open. Her mind is sent reeling in shock.

"W—why?" Is all she can bring herself to ask.

"I thought about it more, and realized that toy is worthless to me." Katsuki replies, a smirk grazing his features. He then grabs Izuku by the collar of her shirt.

"No. The _real_ reward is the look of agony in your eyes as I destroy something dear to you."

A cauldron of rage boils up in Izuku's chest. Blood red edges her vision.

He then releases his hold on her, chuckles, and walks past her.

"It's not like you needed that toy, anyway." He says with a wave of his hand as he goes about his way.

Once Katsuki is out of sight, she grits her teeth and stares down at the ashes of her former toy which lay before her on the ground.

Tears start to seep from her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

The voice comes from behind her and it's distinctly male.

Izuku turns around. A boy stands before her.

To be precise, a teenager. He looks like he's in high school, but that's not what's noteworthy about him.

It's the fact that he's… really weird-looking.

His skin is deathly pale, tinged yellow and wrinkled greatly around his eyes. His red eyes are nearly identical to Katsuki's, a notion that has Izuku nearly tumbling backwards in fear. He has messy grayish-blue hair of varying lengths, the longest clumps reaching to about his shoulders and are left hanging over his face in uneven waves.

His choice of dress is equally unnerving. A black hoodie coupled with black pants and black shoes.

Funnily enough, for whatever reason, her mother's constant utterance of the words _"Don't talk to strangers!"_ fails to echo in her mind.

"I'm fine," she replies, and brushes her nose with the top of her right hand. "I just… well…"

"Had someone destroy a piece of your soul?"

What an odd thing for someone to say. "That's… one way of putting it," she says steadily. _Why am I talking to this weirdo?_ She looks down at the ashes of her former toy. "Or in this case, someone destroyed something really important to me. For no reason other than to hurt me."

"I see." The boy says gently. "I'm...sorry to hear that."

Izuku doesn't know _what's_ more bizarre—the fact that a complete stranger is offering her words of comfort despite barely knowing her, or the fact that his words are actually soothing her.

It's even more bizarre that even though they're in front of a school which hundreds of students attend, no one else is in sight. Only the two of them stand before the school right now.

"I should probably go now," she says rapidly, and starts to walk away.

"All Might." The boy says out of nowhere, prompting her to stop in her tracks.

"Huh?"

"Your shirt. It has All Might on it. I'm assuming you're a fan?"

"I am." She answers quickly, then blinks. "I mean. Who isn't?"

The boy chuckles darkly. "I'm not."

"Really?" She asks, shocked. "But… he's the Symbol of Peace! He's saved countless lives, and a lot of people in this city would be dead if not for him! And he _always_ pulls through to save the day! He's the coolest Hero out there!"

"It's not just All Might. I hate Heroes as a whole." The boy answers as he puts his hands in his pockets. He shrugs. "Each to their own."

Izuku doesn't stop there, though. She just can't _fathom_ how someone doesn't like Heroes.

"I… know a lot of Heroes seem superficial. But… without Heroes, society just wouldn't function." She tries lamely.

"Perhaps," he says, then smiles cynically. "But why is that a bad thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever tried looking at things from the perspective of a Villain? Have you ever asked yourself, why do people commit atrocities to begin with?"

The thought of attempting to relate to those monsters makes Izuku bristle.

"No. And I don't want to." She says in a huff, and crosses her arms.

"Predictable," the boy drawls. "You don't seem like the type of person who'd do that. "

Izuku breathes.

"I… don't know exactly what happened for you to hate Heroes, but… well. I hope one day when I become a Hero, I can change your mind about them."

"You want to be a Hero?"

She nods, albeit hesitantly. Ever since she discovered she was quirkless and Katsuki became relentless with his bullying, she normally keeps this information private.

Which is ironic, considering Katsuki is who inspired her to fight for her dream in the first place.

"I… I mean. I'm told that something like that is impossible for me, seeing as I don't have a quirk. But… well… I'm positive that if I work hard at it… I can turn my dream into a reality, in spite of that. Heroes like Eraserhead barely use their quirk while fighting in real time, and if I learn enough martial combat moves properly, I… should be able to become one."

She then places her right hand on her chest. "I… hope that when I do, I can show you what being a Hero is truly all about."

The boy grins. "I'll be looking forward to seeing that happen."

* * *

As the little girl he spoke to walks away, Tomura can only think of one thing.

He's going to enjoy tearing that girl to shreds one day.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ This ending may not be completely satisfactory to some, but to me, it is. It's an ending that leaves room for a possible continuation, and ends showing the readers that despite Katsuki's bullying, Izuku hasn't lost sight of her dream.

On one hand, I am a bit sad not to showcase Katsuki's redemption, but that was never my original intention with this fic. The ultimate point of this fic was to showcase Katsuki's and Izuku's introduction, and their brief friendship pre-canon, before Katsuki ultimately turns into her bully. That's where the heart of the fic truly lies. That being said, a redemption arc may come if I ever decide to come back to this fic, so there's that.

Thank you all for reading. I hope you all enjoyed. :)

Chapter updated March 26. 2020*


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